Three Riddlesdown football teams are still in this seasons English Schools National Cups after a fantastic run of performances, making it one of our most successful football years to date.

The Under 12 and Under 13 girls football teams have had a superb season so far and both remain undefeated in all competitions. The Under 12s have played 4 rounds and have recently defeated Rainham Girls school from Medway. They now face a trip to Essex against Shenfield School on Monday 5th December, who are one of the best football schools in England. Captain Lilybell Henson has been instrumental in leading this team and has managed to score a goal in every round so far. Special mentions to Julia Wyspianska, Kymaya-Ley Thomas-Quarshie, India Foster-Halfpenny, Eleanor Luff and Lucy Nimmo for consistently good performances in every game.

The Under 13 girls are currently the number one performing team in England at their age group. They have come through 6 rounds of the competition, beating some of the best sporting Schools in the country along the way. In round 4 they beat Surbiton High and on Wednesday 31st January, they came from 2-1 down to beat Alleyn’s 3-2 and are now in the National Quarter-Finals. The game was a real nail biter, but the girls showed great resilience to come back and win such a prestigious game. The draw will be done live from West Bromich Albions ground on Monday 5th February and this will be streamed on YouTube. Captain Lydia Sofos has been superb at the back with a special mention to Ismay De Giovanni- Smith and Lilybell Henson for their goals and Emily Farache for her amazing saves in goal.

The Under 15 Boys team have been on a rollercoaster of a journey after a poor start to the season. The progress, development and team cohesion these boys have shown to come this far, has been phenomenal. They have bonded as a team and have overcome some exceptional teams along the way. Every game has been so intense and they have shown superb resilience, particularly in round 5 where they scored a last minute winner against national champions Whitgift School. They then took on the Beacon School and finally overcame their penalty phobia to win 4-2 last. In the last 16 they travelled to Herne Bay High School and came back from 2-0 down to win on penalties in a dramatic shootout.

A special mention to Archie Gray, Platon Sofos and Oliver Findlon for exceptional defending skills in every game, Lewis Markley for key saves in the games and during penalty shootouts, Dylan Nguyen for his goals and slotting home the winning penalty and Captain Shaquille Sandiford for great leadership skills throughout.