September 7th 2026. Great start for the u10 Boys.

Following a series of trials and training sessions, the u10 players were understandably excited and perhaps a little nervous as they arrived at the impressive Brookvale Arena, Aston Villa’s indoor football facility situated close to Villa Park and they were immediately thrown into some challenging games against strong opposition from across the Birmingham area but what a morning of football they produced!

Our opening game was a tough encounter against Erdington & Saltley and Wolverhampton started well with Jack Stenson and Fraser Allen testing the keeper before our opponents took the lead after Oliver Cooper Scarisbrook had parried the initial shot. Erdington went close on a few more occasions but our lads showed plenty of promise.

A brilliant start to the second game against East Birmingham saw Xavier Cotterill’s corner find Jack Stenson, who created space brilliantly before turning and curling the ball into the far top corner and there were further opportunities. George Warr fired just over and Cassius Clarke Jackson found Jack with a long ball from defence before we extended our lead. Ethan Adams finding George Warr with a superb pass. Ethan stretched to slide the ball past the advancing goalkeeper and right on full time, Xavier Cotterill added a third, finding himself unmarked to complete an excellent performance.

The third game was a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Aston with chances limited for both sides, Wolverhampton defended really well with Aston’s best opportunity coming from a long-range effort which crashed crashed against the post. The final group game was against Kings Norton and Jack Stenson produced one of the moments of the morning with a terrific run down the left, beating his marker before firing a powerful shot from a tight angle which the Kings Norton goalkeeper did well to save.Kings Norton then began to put pressure on Wolverhampton, with Oliver Cooper Scarisbrook making an excellent save before the rebound was eventually turned in. Our players continued to battle right to the final whistle but were unable to find an equaliser..

Having progressed to the quarter-finals, Wolverhampton faced another strong South Birmingham side and provided some excellent moments. Xavier Cotterill laid the ball back to Tommie Clarke, who struck a superb effort that looked destined for the far top corner until it came back off the crossbar. Another good opportunity came from a George Warr free-kick, which narrowly evaded Jack Stenson before Xavier Cotterill was unable to turn it in at the far post but South Birmingham eventually broke the deadlock. Our first tournament journey came to an end with this narrow 1-0 defeat but I'm sure the lads benefitted from the experience.

Squad : Oliver Cooper Scarisbrook, Kaiden Bentley, Tommie Clarke, Ethan Adams, George Warr, Jack Stenson, Fraser Allen, Xavier Cotterill and Cassius Clarke Jackson.

This was never simply about results, however, and we couldn't have asked more from this group, most of whom were making their debuts. They showed enthusiasm, courage, teamwork and a real willingness to learn throughout and played some excellent football. They grasped the opportunity to test themselves against high-quality opposition and there was so much to be proud of. A huge thank you to all the parents and carers who made the early journey on Saturday morning, transported the players and supported them throughout the event. Your commitment makes these opportunities possible, and your encouragement was fantastic.