The first football fixture for Eltham College’s youngest students in Year 3 saw a team heading to Alleyn’s School on Monday 20 January for their annual U8 football tournament. Despite the minimal preparation and playing against opponents who had been training since September, the Eltham team quickly got into their stride and recorded three wins out of three in their group stage, qualifying the team for the semi-finals.
Eltham’s opponents in the next game were the hosts, Alleyn’s, who shocked Eltham by taking the lead within 15 seconds. Undeterred, Eltham stuck to their tasks and, by scoring either side of half-time, recorded a 2-1 victory to send them into the final against Honeywell School. The first half was Honeywell-dominated, and Eltham faced a three goal deficit at the turnaround. A valiant effort saw two goals pegged back, but in the end Eltham had to settle for second place in the tournament after a 3-2 defeat – still a remarkable performance in the circumstances. Well done to all those involved.
