Footballers at East Riding College are over the moon after the first and second teams won their respective divisions with games to spare.
The two teams, which play their home games at Bridlington Sports Centre, clinched the titles over rivals from local colleges in the British Colleges Sport North East section.
The first team ran away with East Yorkshire Division 1B and are 7 points ahead with only 1 game left to play. The first team is currently unbeaten this season in the league, losing only one game all year in the National Cup to Rotherham College.
The team has played confidently all year, averaging six goals per game and Ben Slater and Andrew Rennoldson finished top scorers, netting over 20 times between them. The first team clinched their league with a 4-2 victory over their closest rival, Wilberforce College, despite the absence of a number of players.
The team continued their good form, passing the ball around Wilberforce confidently. Mark Bush scored the first goal after some good work in midfield from Joe Thompson. Leading at half-time, East Riding College went out and carried on the pressure with Ben Slater scoring a 25-yard drive after an individual run from his own half.
Ben added his second after his cross looped over the opponent keeper, giving ERC a confident 3-0 lead. ERC started to relax and some individual errors caused Wilberforce to claw back two goals. After some good defending, ERC sealed the victory when Sam Belcher ran out of defence before passing the ball to Robbie Yearnshire who volleyed the ball into the net for his debut goal.
The second team won the East Yorkshire Division 2 by beating the second placed Wilberforce College team 4-0 with a game in hand. Two great finishes from Matty Arnold, including an overhead kick and only their third clean sheet of the season ensured the team finished on a high. The second team has again played an integral part in the success of football at the College, as a number of players have progressed from the second team to the first team this season.
This has not dampened the spirits of the second team who have been able to maintain focus and enthusiasm throughout. This is largely due to the leadership of Tom Nicholson and defensive duo Matty Clay and Luke Ashby’s exceptional performances.
First team coach and sports tutor Paul Smith said: “It’s been a fantastic season for both our football teams and for both to gain promotion at the same time is a great achievement.
“We’ve seen some great performances this season and the teams have really come together to play some excellent football, despite some bad weather and a lot of postponements over the winter.”
East Riding College runs men’s football, rugby union and basketball and girls’ netball, rugby and football teams as part of its enrichment (extra-curricular) activities. The College also has a range of courses on sport, fitness and exercise science, from level two to foundation degree level.
For more information, visit here or call 0845 120 0037.
