We are delighted to announce the recent success of Byron Red Star under 9’s football team. As part of our commitment to support the local community, Athona has sponsored Byron for the past 2 seasons. Their success this season was underlined by a string of fantastic performances resulting in them winning the League Cup and the West Sussex Cup Selsey. Match reports can be found below.

League Cup Final: Byron Red Star 2 v Buckhurst Hill 1

Byron started unusually very slow and with no passing flow to their game which has seen them finish 2nd in the league & beating 3 other top league rivals to get to the final. Buckhurst was more determined and was 1st to every 50/50 ball, they got the reward their effort deserved with a slick one-two that split the Byron defence & slipped past the diving keeper into the bottom left-hand corner.

The second half began with ‘The old Byron back’, with the wind now behind them they pushed forward every time they had the ball pushing the Buckhurst defence further back as the minutes passed, Byron was denied on more than one occasion from the inspired Buckhurst keeper but with 10 minutes left the equaliser came. Quick thinking by Billy Carter from a short corner released the ball to Charlie Moore who skipped past the oncoming defender before unleashing a right-footed rocket into the keepers top right-hand corner from just outside the right-hand side of the penalty box.

The flow was with Byron and the winning goal their 2nd half dominance deserved came in the final minute when Moore took a long throw into the Buckhurst penalty reaching capt Josh Portway who muscled his way past the tiring Buckhurst defence to bundle the ball over the line.

A brilliant result to end a brilliant season for the Reds.

West Sussex Cup Selsey: Byron Red Star 3 v Aylestone Park 1

The boys played 6 games in the group stages winning 4 & drawing 2 (5-0, 3-0, 0-0, 1-0, 1-1 & 5-0), The final was played versus the team who came runners-up who we drew with 1-1, Aylestone Park from Leicester.

The final was played in terrible windy & rainy conditions with Byron playing into the wind 1st half & up against it but took the lead when wing wizard Josh Garraway sprinted past 2 players to bury the ball into the keeper’s left-hand corner. Aylestone pressure continued & they scored with an identical goal to level the scores at halftime. Byron had 12 second-half minutes with the wind in their favour to lift the trophy & duly obliged with some great football.

Charlie Moore putting the reds in front when he met a Seth Woodward corner at the near post & buried an unstoppable header into the roof of the net. All Byron now & captain Josh Portway made sure the cup was coming back to Romford when he rounded the keeper with minutes remaining.

3 – 1 to the reds, job done. To finish the weekend off Darren Anderton was on hand to present the boys with their trophies & a bonus trophy to our B team who won most sporting team of the weekend.

Athona Sponsors Local Football Champions