Courtesy: Wirral Globe

Vics miss out on Euro chance

By Globe correspondent

TRANMERE Victoria - one of the pioneers of Futsal in the UK - have missed out on the chance to take part in the UEFA Futsal Cup next season.

Victoria, the first club ever to represent the UK in European Futsal, had to be content with third place when the FA staged its annual national tournament in Sheffield.

Futsal is both FIFA's and UEFA's approved code for indoor soccer, widely played thoughout the world, but quite different from conventional five-a-side football.

Tranmere Victoria were crowned England's first Futsal national champions at Sheffield in 2002, qualifying as the country's representatives at the 2003 UEFA Futsal Cup.

They had high hopes of repeating those feats by becoming national champions again. They were drawn in Group D' with Ipswich Wolves, who they beat 7-2, North East club Nicol Magpies (Tranmere won 8-1) and Vaughans, a team who, despite fielding three England players could only manage a 2-2 draw against a weakened Tranmere side that had already qualified for the quarter-finals.

Victoria topped Group D' with seven points from three games.

Vics, like last year, were drawn against Doncaster in the quarter-final - and they gained ample revenge, a 6-2 result taking them to the semi-finals.

But Tranmere's hopes were dashed by Team Baltic, who led 3-0 at half-time. Tranmere, though, bombarded the opposition in the second-half, scoring two goals but not the vital third.

Vics were desperately low at the final whistle - so much effort had been expended during the previous 12 months . . . and so much sacrifice, too.

Hugo Costa, Andy Reading and Steve Senyard, for example, had given up their jobs elsewhere in the country to move to Wirral so they could train with the rest of the team three or four times a week.

Having lost their most important game of the season, Vics had just 45 minutes before playing the Third/Fourth play-off match against Ipswich Wolves.

Trailing 3-0 at half-time, they refused to give up and, with just two minutes left, they drew level.

Thirty seconds before the final whistle, Hugo dribbled through the Wolves defence to put the ball in the back of the net for the winner!

The 2006 FA Futsal champions, White Bear, beat Baltic 5-0 in the final and will be England's representatives in next year's UEFA Futsal Cup.



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