Redgate youngsters triumph in cup final

Under-13 footballers from Redgate Rangers were the toast of West Norfolk at the weekend as they emerged victorious from their Norfolk Combined Youth Football League Cup final.Redgate, who are chasing a league and cup double, won a tight encounter against Aylsham 1-0.Manager Danny Lincoln said: “This was an excellent achievement from this group of players with most being at the club since they were four or five years-old (Tiny Tekkers).”We have moved through the divisions since joining the NCFYL in 2021 and missed out on a county cup final last season after being knocked out on penalties in the semi-finals.”We added in the right players to what we had already built from the surrounding villages and towns and this has enabled us to compete with the top teams across the whole county every week.” It was a close affair with some excellent football on show.Theo Lincoln scored the only goal of the game after rounding the goalkeeper to slot home his 39th goal of the season so far just before the break. Redgate could have added a couple more straight after the break, but found the Aylsham goalkeeper in excellent form between the posts.Aylsham had a push towards the end but the Redgate defence and goalkeeper were superb throughout the game. The team scored an incredible 44 goals and conceded just one during their cup success having hit double-figures against Fakenham Town and Sprowston in earlier rounds.As it stands, the youngsters are also flying high in the Norfolk Combined Premier Division.With eight games to go, they currently sit second in the table with games in hand on the leaders.It promises to be an exciting run-in with Costessey and Aylsham also pushing for the title.