A CHESTER girls football team are celebrating their success after reaching the National League Trust cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Lache Primary School girls under-11s football team took to the 90,000-capacity stadium for the Northern versus Southern champions final, which saw them take the silver medal.

The Saturday, May 11 match saw the Lache girls, coached by Shaun Mohan and Wayne Gresty, representing Chester FC as the National League Trust northern champions, taking on southern champions Barrow Hayes Primary School, representing Sutton United.

While the girls missed out on cup final glory after losing 2-0, reaching the final of the competition was nonetheless a hugely impressive achievement.

The final is just one of a series of successes for the eight-strong team, as their victory at The Chester Football League means they will now play in a ‘Champions League day’ at Manchester City’s training ground, having also recently triumphed at the Danny Jones Memorial Cup with a mixed team.

Shaun Mohan, co-coach of the football team, said: “We are so proud of our girls, who got through to the final by winning both the Northwest and North of England stages of the competition, against some incredibly tough teams.

“They play very effectively as a team and they understand and apply tactics well within games. Our star striker, who has so far scored 96 goals in four seasons, is having trials with Manchester United girls team.”

Rob Pullen, headteacher at Lache Primary School, added: “We are all so excited about the girls playing in this major event, and delighted about how the local community has pulled together to make this possible.

“With the support of funding from Sanctuary Housing and from local businesses, Codex Integrity and Abbi Access, along with additional funds provided by Leanne Depuis, Donna Depuis and Alan Banks, we were able to cover the cost of transport and accommodation for the girls team travelling to Wembley.

"Four years ago Lache Primary School only had a Year 5/6 boys football team. Now the school run a Year 5 and 6 team: a B team: a Year 3 and 4 team and a Year 5 and 6 girls team. Year 2 also run a successful football club and Year 1 have started yet another this term.

"Additionally, all ages from Reception to Year 4 take part in Mini Kickers events. We are so pleased that football opportunities at Lache Primary School are thriving!’”

Andrew Mallon, director at Codex Integrity, which sponsors the team, added: “When we heard about the girls’ achievement having got so far in the competition, we were only too happy to help them with the trip to Wembley.”