by Peter Scherer
Over the next week or so Mickleover play host to 42 players from the South Hobart FC in Tasmania.
There are three squads, under 17, 16 and 14 who will be staying in Derby and sharing the Mickleover training facilities.
Their UK Tour has been arranged by Mark Taylor’s PSC (Pro Soccer Consulting) and takes in a number of games for each squad, plus visits to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. “We normally arrange tours for senior Pro teams, so this is a little different for us too,” said Taylor.
Having arrived in the UK on Wednesday, the Under 17 squad went straight into action with a 5-1 win over a Stoke Development side.
Last night the younger Aussies were in action, playing the Mickleover Under 16 and 14’s teams. The 14’s were in action first, which was a challenging feat for the Mickleover lads, against a team who recently won their league by 20 points.
Their Aussie opponents had the edge from the start, with a clear advantage on size and familiarity, having only recently finished their home league.
Although Mickleover were soundly beaten, they played some nice football particularly in the second half, when Jamie Reekie and Spencer Evereatt-Elton scored consolation goals for Sports.
In the Under 16’s it was the visitors off to a flying start with an unfortunate own goal after two minutes. Mickleover created some chances and kept the visitors keeper on his toes, but it was another comfortable win for the Aussie lads despite some impressive saves from the Mickleover keeper.
At Mickleover we want to give an opportunity for people and be an important part of the community and give more to our junior teams in the future. We want various clubs to continue to use our facilities, from home and now abroad too, with our Australian visitors. It’s a great experience for all the lads and one we want to continue
said Mickleover manager Gareth Holmes.
