AFC Totton
MARK LILLEY’S ALL-CONQUERING AFC Totton Under-13 Junior Premier League team took part in the JPL National Champions Invitational Finals tournament in Warwickshire over the weekend (Saturday 17 May 2025), featuring some of the best U13 teams in the whole country.
Having already achieved a league and cup double by claiming both the JPL South Coast Division One title and the JPL Vase National Cup — with victory over Cheshire-based Saughall Colts in the final, at Macclesfield FC’s Moss Rose stadium — and confirming their status as JPL Southern Champions by winning their Regional Play-Off final last weekend, The Young Bucks took to the playing fields of Warwick University to take on opponents from all over England.
Competing in the six-team Group A, Totton kicked-off their tournament with a single-goal victory over the Nottinghamshire-based DP Football Academy Gold, and followed that up with a 3-1 win against last year’s champions North Somerset Youth Football Grey, before being held to a one-all draw in their third game by Luca FC, who herald from Tunbridge Wells.
A convincing 3-0 victory over Matthiola JFC from Warrington, Cheshire in their fourth outing meant that Totton were one of three teams going into the final round of matches with a chance of making the final, alongside eventual Group A runners-up Luca FC and Totton’s final group opponents, AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
Despite a valiant effort, The Young Bucks lost out by the odd goal in three, leaving them in third place in Group A, with The Diamonds progressing to face their Hayes & Yeading counterparts, winners of Group B, in the final.
AFC Totton U13s JPL team after winning the JPL Vase National Cup in early-May.
After the tournament, Assistant Coach Paul Tomlinson commented:
“What a weekend. It was a privilege to qualify and be invited to the JPL National Champions Invitational. We had no expectations, other than to go and give a good account of ourselves. WOW, the boys did more than that!
They gave everything they had and went toe-to-toe with some of the country’s finest U13 JPL teams, with it all coming down to the last league game as to who made it into the final. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. But we are all incredibly proud of all this team has achieved, and we will be back on this stage to compete again.
Now to rest, recharge and get ready to compete for one last time for the honour to be crowned Hampshire Cup Winners.”
AFC Totton U13s JPL will take on Sholing in the Hampshire U13 Cup final at the Hampshire FA’s Winklebury Sports Complex in Basingstoke - set SatNavs to RG23 8BF - this Thursday evening (22 May), kick-off at 7:30pm.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
