PICTURES: School boys to represent Derby County at Wembley!

Hilton Primary School qualified to represent the Rams at the Northern Region Finals in Bolton yesterday following their victory at local level back in January, where they came out on top against 80 local schools from across Derbyshire to progress to the next stage.

The Kinder+ Sport Football League Kids Cup Regional Final saw all the teams who won their local finals come together to battle it out for a place in the National Final, which includes a trip to Wembley to take on the Southern Regional Final winner ahead of the 2016 Sky Bet Championship Play Off Final.

Yesterday’s Regional Final commenced with a group stage in which Hilton Primary took on representatives from Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers and Hull City.

Hilton Primary progressed from the group stages and into the quarter final following victories against Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough, plus a draw against Hull City and a loss to hosts Bolton Wanderers.

A tense Quarter Final saw Hilton Primary come up against Preston North End. After taking an early lead, the match proved to be a real test of the side’s defensive capabilities. They weathered a late storm and came out as 1-0 winners to progress to the Semi Finals against Leeds United.

The first half of the Semi Final was similar to that of the Quarter Final, Hilton Primary took an early lead and tried to hold on to it. This time however, Leeds managed to pull back an equaliser just before half time. With the second half underway in a tie that could have gone either way, Hilton Primary produced that extra bit of quality and ran out 2-1 winners.

The final was against Bolton Wanderers, the only team to have beaten Hilton Primary in the Group Stages. The boys managed to forget about the performance earlier in the day and took full control in the first half, coming in at half time 2-0 up. A slight wobble at the beginning of the second half saw Bolton pull a goal back but Hilton showed their quality and went on to win the match 3-1 and progress to Wembley.

Hilton Primary School will now travel to the Kinder+ Sport Football League Kids Cup National Final on 29th May at Wembley Stadium, where they will face Ipswich Town’s representatives ahead of the Sky Bet Championship Play Off Final.

Following the Regional Final, Derby County Community Trust’s Participation Manager, Richard Mansfield, said: “The boys did a fantastic job and represented their school and Derby County Football Club brilliantly.

“They put on an excellent footballing display and are fully deserving of the chance to play at Wembley ahead of the Play Off Final.”

Derby County Community Trust will be on hand in helping Hilton Primary prepare for the final by attending training sessions and helping coach them in the build up to their trip to Wembley.

Find out more by visiting derbycountycommunitytrust.com.