MEMBERS of a school football team from St Austell have been praised for their resilience – after winning the Year 9 county cup competition.

The boys team from Penrice Academy clinched the trophy, amid scenes of celebration, following a memorable second-half turnaround in the final.

“Hosted at Sticker Football Club, the boys faced a showdown against a talented Redruth School team,” said a school spokesperson. “The ability of the Redruth team was clear to see in the first half where they were arguably the better team, going into the break with a deserved 1-0 advantage.

“However, an inspired second-half performance saw Penrice turn the tie on its head, hitting the woodwork twice and scoring an equaliser just 15 minutes before full-time.

“With the game evenly poised in the closing stages, it was team captain Callum who took a great chance to put Penrice in the lead with five minutes left to play, sending the supporting Penrice community into euphoria on the sidelines.

“After a nervous final five minutes, the referee blew the final whistle to jubilant scenes from those in black and gold.”

Mr Jenkin, head of PE at Penrice Academy, said: “I’m really proud of the students’ achievement. The level of commitment they have shown to training and representing Penrice is outstanding. They’ve done the school proud and they deserve this recognition.

“The atmosphere created by the Penrice community was one I’ll never forget. I must thank the parents, grandparents, carers, students and teachers, all of whom attended in their numbers at the match.

“It gave our players a huge boost; we are so grateful for the support. Throughout the year, we have had parents offering to run the line, arranging kit and offering to help in so many other ways. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this success.”

The school spokesperson added: “The victory was even sweeter given that the team were knocked out in county cup semi-finals in previous years, on both occasions against Newquay Tretherras.

“Given the past history, it was seemingly inevitable that Penrice would once again be drawn against Newquay Tretherras in the semi-finals this year, only to secure victory on this occasion.”

Mr Jenkin said: “Finally getting the ‘monkey off our back’ with victory in this year’s semi-final was a really motivating factor for the players. It proved to every player that they can do it and they should never give up.

“I think this was a huge psychological factor in this comeback performance against Redruth in the final. The boys just refuse to give up; they show incredible resilience and determination.”

The team will next play together in Year 10 when they will enter a national cup competition.