BORO IN DO OR DIE ENCOUNTER AGAINST SHEFFIELD

11/2/2011

Middlesbrough Futsal Club travel to Sheffield to take on defending champions in a must win game on Sunday and Boro boss Damon Shaw could hand debuts to two players, drafted into the first team from the under-18s.

Sheffield are current champions of The FA Futsal League North, having taken the title from Boro and currently sit top of the league, five points ahead of Middlesbrough, so it seems like a daunting task for the Teessiders. Anything other than a win on Sunday and Shaw acknowledges that Boro’s playoff challenge will be all but over.

“Sheffield are five points in front, and Manchester don’t look like losing. The good news is that we play Sheffield twice in succession so we could leapfrog them with two wins. Sunday’s game is a big one for us, it might as well be our cup final because if we lose it will be an almost impossible task to reel the top two in,” he told BoroFutsal.com.

With two youngsters registered ahead of Sunday’s game, Boro could spring some surprises against Sheffield.

“Jon [Prosser] is out injured and Pete [Bulmer] is suspended so we’re a little light in terms of core players. Josh [Philips] will be back in the side along with Jason [Kilbride, after missing the 4-2 defeat to Manchester while away with England] and I plan on taking one of the under-18s who have made a great start to their futsal careers,” he continued.

Once again, a bus of Boro fans are making the journey down the M1 to follow the futsal team and vice captain Robbie Bettson hopes he can give the fans their first win.

“They were amazing in Manchester, Hillsborough [Leisure Centre] is a lot smaller and the atmosphere they will bring will be awesome. We will do our best to take the three points for the fans. We need to win, it won’t be easy, but we are well prepared and confident we can keep up with the teams at the top,” said Bettson.

It’s an early kick off on Sunday, 11:30am at Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield. Entry is £2.

You can keep up with the team on their official website, BoroFutsal.com or on twitter @borofutsal.



BORO TEAM UP WITH TFM RADIOʼS CASH FOR KIDS

TFM radio’s Cash for Kids will become Middlesbrough Futsal Club’s official charity for the next 2 seasons

Middlesbrough can today announce a new partnership with TFM radio’s Cash for Kids that will see the local charity become the official charity of England’s most popular futsal team for the next two seasons.

Cash for Kids will be the main focus of fund raising for a few events the club has planned, of which details will be announced in due course, including a World Record Attempt in July, and will also receive advertising and sponsorship benefits including free mascot packages for local children, pitch side and website advertising and hundreds of free tickets.

It is hoped that by partnering with such a prominent local charity, Middlesbrough Futsal Club will also see some benefits.

Chairman Damon Shaw said, “We’ve worked with Cash for Kids and TFM radio before, and the results were great – we had our best ever attendance of 400 at a charity match – so it’s nice to make the partnership official. They are a local charity and benefit local children, so they are a perfect charity for us to support, given our pride in the area.

“Our next home game is on 6th March at Thornaby Pavilion against Sheffield and there you will see Cash for Kids prominent in the sports hall. Courage the Cat will be coming along and we will also be giving away mascot packages to children chosen by the charity. We will also hold a raffle and some half time games for kids. We hope that we can continue to grow our fan base and also raise some valuable funds for the charity,” he continued.

Linsey Wood, Charity Executive for TFM radio’s Cash for Kids said: “We are delighted to have the backing of Middlesbrough Futsal Club, with this partnership I am sure we can not only raise lots of money for the charity but also increase awareness of the great work we do. Every penny that TFM Radio & Magic 1170’s Cash for Kids raise stays within the local area and we are unique in the fact that we not only help sick and underprivileged children but we also help other children’s charities and groups too. We are in a very tough economic climate and it is now more important than ever to support the children of our community who desperately need help.”

You can keep up with the team and find out how to get involved on their official website, BoroFutsal.com or on twitter @borofutsal and for more information about the Charity go to www.tfmradio.com


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com