Sheffield’s group included Chippenham FC from the Midlands league and two-time National champions Helvecia from the Southern league. Sheffield kicked off the play offs in spectacular style, destroying rivals Chippenham 12-2.
The boys were clinical and dominated the game from start to finish, impressing the crowd with their whole-hearted performance. But, alas, in the second game the mighty Helvecia proved lethal on the counter-attack, creating chances at will and securing a 13-2 victory over a shell-shocked Sheffield.
Helvecia went on to win their third successive title with a thrilling 11-8 victory over league rivals Spartans. But, reflecting on the Nationals as a whole and the season in general, Sheffield coach Mark England-Woodock is anything but deflated.
He looks upon the tournament, and the game with Helvecia in particular, as a real learning experience and expressed genuine optimism for the future.
“We did well against Chippenham and the game plan worked really well – we pressed them and got a big score and won comfortably,” he said.
“This set us up for the game with Helvecia, who had won the Nationals for the two years previously. They have a lot of experienced professional futsal players who really know the game, and play on the counter-attack.”
“They took an early lead, and we then had to go forward and attach them which in a way played into their hands, as they break really quickly.”
“We chased the game and maybe overcommitted a bit.”
He also believes that the players will benefit from their experiences, saying: “The Nationals were a great learning curve for us. A lot of our players are under 21 years, and in Helvecia we were playing an experienced side, nearly all of whom are Brazilian.”
“It was a great experience, and a steep learning curve.”
“The two Southern sides – Spartans and Helvecia – are a step up in quality, but we are now established as one of the top four sides in the country, though the top two are on their own at the moment.”
He also believes the future has never been brighter for Futsal in Sheffield, with more games planned for next season and a new recruitment drive scheduled for September.
“There have been lessons learned and we are keeping the squad together, and only have a couple of players leaving,” he said. “We will expose the players to as much Futsal as possible and have regular training.”
“The league has been restructured slightly so there will be more games next season, so this will lead to a development in tactics beyond a basic knowledge and that will help us to expand as a team and close the gap on teams like Helvecia.”
For further information about Futsal contact the Football Development team on 0114 241 4992 or email development@sheffieldfa.com
If you are interested in getting involved with Sheffield FC Futsal then please email futsal@sheffieldfc.com