Felixstowe Academy Football team

Felixstowe Academy have created history by becoming the first team from the Deben catchment area to be crowned year 11 Suffolk County football champions.

The Academy team, which for the first time this season saw players from the merged Orwell and Deben High Schools join forces, saw off King Edward VI 2-1 in a tense final at Gainsborough Sports Centre.

Alex Day and Connor Field scored the all-important goals as Felixstowe clinched the title and added a new name to a varied list of winners during the competition’s 22-year existence.

Captain Matt Poxon was determined not to miss out, despite having a slight knee injury, and he played an integral part as the team, managed by Martin Cumberland, resisted the challenge of their Bury St Edmunds-based counterparts.

“We went through a series of tough games, against Copleston, Farlingaye and East Bergholt to get to the final and there was little to choose between the teams in any of the games, which were high-scoring,” said Poxon, who has been offered a two-year apprenticeship deal at Needham Market and also plays for Suffolk.

“We always knew we had a strong team and we are much better than we used to be because the two schools have come together, while a lot of us play together for Suffolk too.

“Once we had got so far, the whole Academy was urging us to win and, in the final, there were teachers there who didn’t particularly like football and lots of parents, but they wanted to get behind the team and I think it captured the imagination.”

Felixstowe took the lead in the game with a penalty, converted just before the break by Alex Day. An equaliser stopped Felixstowe in their tracks somewhat but they showed character to fight back and win the game through Field, a year 10 pupil.

“We dominated the first half and after we scored the penalty it was a case of holding on to our lead but we didn’t do that,” said Poxon, 16.

“We let a goal in but thankfully Connor scored the winner.”

For Field and fellow year 10, Tom Morrisey, will get the chance to defend the title when they step up to their final year at the Academy next season.

“They can go back to their team-mates now and say, ‘we won it last year, let’s do it again this year’,” said Cumberland.