FOOTBALL and faith took to the pitches when more than 200 players headed to Loughborough to play in a national soccer tournament last weekend.
A squad of 14 players from Leigh Road Baptist FC were among those competing at the annual National Christian Football Festival.
After decamping at our luxury “team” hotel in nearby Leicester – and avoiding the many press waiting there – the lads enjoyed a quiet Friday night out before heading to bed early to be ready for two days of non-stop soccer.
We were joined by teams from as far away as Wales, Sunderland, Stoke and Birmingham at the contest which was split into two sections – Football Association affiliated and the new teams section, which Leigh Road took part in.
After starting well with a 3-2 victory and a 2-2 draw, the side, led by skipper Greg Taylor, pulled out all the stops to beat Stoke-based Potters House Church 3-1. The game included a terrific free kick from Greg, which even David Beckham would have been proud of!
But with an injury to one of our key players, Charlie Dear, ruling him out of our final game on the Saturday, an exhausted Leigh Road lost 4-0 to the eventual winners, Freedom Church, from Hereford.
Nursing injuries overnight and with many players too tired to even watch the end of the Holland verses Costa Rica match, a weary squad were driven by David Elcock from our hotel to the festival for the final day.
A rousing start against Sunderland Samba (who even brought their own drums along) ended in a 2-1 defeat and despite being still in the hunt for the runners-up spot, Leigh Road lost their final game.
Apart from the great football played, Christian talks were held each day by contest organisers Ambassadors Football, which were listened to intently by our players with some asking questions afterwards.
Players Alan Cook and Steve Klein, as well as midfielder Nick Johnson, also prayed for healing for Charlie’s ankle.
After the tournament, Greg Taylor said: “It was a terrific weekend away with some great chats with the lads. There was a real feel of togetherness and nobody gave up. “We are now looking forward to the new season and coming back next year to win the competition!” Player manager Steve Klein added: “There were some good performances on the pitch along with some good chats after the games about God-stuff. “Hopefully we can build on this for the future.”
By Steve Klein LRBC FC player.
Squad: Adam Lonergran, Nick Johnson, Greg Taylor, Graham Sexton, Charlie Dear, Grant Bilkus, Matt Airey, Mike Sweeney, Anthony Bird, Alan Cook, Steve Klein, Phil Barter, Dan Gracie.
Team mini-bus driver and encourager: David Elcock
For more info on the team, training and playing visit our sports pages.