Derby County lifted the Sky Bet Championship Kinder+ Sport Cup at Wembley Stadium after a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.
Captain Kaide Gordon did most of the damage in a fast-paced match, scoring one and creating the other for the Rams, who were represented under the arch by Hilton Primary School.Derby forced a save in the early seconds to signal their intent, and they broke the deadlock in style. Gordon tried his luck with a left-footed effort from long-range, which perfectly found the bottom corner.
That’s how it stayed at the break, and Ipswich came out in search of an equaliser. However, their task became all the more harder when Gordon fired across goal to Jack Harrison, who expertly turned the ball home with the outside of his boot.
The Tractor Boys, represented by Britannia Primary School, fought bravely but they couldn’t break down a dogged Derby defence, and it was County who would emerge victorious.
Derby County’s captain Kaide Gordon said of his match-winning performance: “It feels brilliant to captain Derby at Wembley because I’ve never played here before, so it was a good experience to play and score my goal.
“For my goal, I was about 20 yards out, got the ball out my feet and the shot trickled into the bottom corner. It was a shot for the second goal too, but luckily it fell to Jack [Harrison] who put it in.
Coach Scott Parsons added: “What a feeling, I’m just waiting for the call from England now!
“It’s been a very long journey but they’ve been brilliant all the way through. I’ve seen massive improvement but they’ve always been a great group of players. I’m very proud, I got goosebumps coming out here today and the kids were amazing. I’m chuffed to bits.”
The Football League Kids Cup, alongside the Girls Cup for under 13’s, is sponsored by Ferrero’s Kinder+Sport programme. Encouraging children to be physically active and embrace the joy of moving is one of Ferrero’s key aims and core corporate social responsibility principles, both in the UK and globally. The Kinder+Sport programme is designed to promote active lifestyles through dynamic play and sports among children and their families, and has reached 15 million children in 27 countries to date.
In the UK, Kinder+Sport includes a number of initiatives. The Kinder+Sport Move and Learn programme is a national, school-based education programme delivered in partnership with The Football League Trust that helps children learn about the importance of a balanced diet and regular physical activity. Ferrero also partners with The Football League Trust to deliver two more national competitions, the Kinder+Sport Futsal Cup for the under-16 age group, and the Kinder+Sport Challenge Cup for the under-18s group.
Both competitions encourage children to get involved with sport and physical activity, whilst giving them a unique opportunity to play at football stadiums. Overall, in the academic year 2015/16, Kinder+Sport together with The Football League Trust will reach more than 47,000 children, helping them to be more active and learn about the benefits of an active lifestyle.
Derby County team (represented by Hilton Primary School): Kaide Gordon (captain), Ben Horleston, Alex Birch, Jack Leighton, Josh Pearch, Max Tolley, Jack Harrison, Harry Atwal
Ipswich Town team (represented by Britannia Primary School): Tom Chilvers (captain), Jamie Leeks, Tom Southgate, Brandon Greenleaf, Mac Robinson, Bobby Eaton-Collins, Harry Topple, Elliot Stevens
Kits provided by Mitre.