Wembley honour for young players

SIX young Guernsey footballers will be flying the flag before the England Euro 2008 qualifier today. The youngsters have netted the honour of carrying the Fifa Fair Play flag onto the pitch before the England v. Estonia game.

In front of 90,000 spectators, they will stand near the centre circle while the national anthems are played.

Nine-year-old Tom De La Rue, who plays for Vale Rec, is one of the group making the trip of a lifetime.

'It's really exciting because we might be able to meet the players,' he said.

'I love playing football, it's so much fun. I think England are going to win 3-0.'

Philip Sillars, 10, who plays defence and midfield for St Martin's and whose favourite England player is Steven Gerrard, said he felt incredibly lucky to be chosen.

'The first thing I thought when my mum told me the news was: ?Is she pulling my leg??.

'I just exploded when I realised it was actually happening for real. I can't wait.'

All the boys will be accompanied by a parent or guardian who also receives a complimentary ticket.

Proud father Robert Sillars said it would be the trip of a lifetime for all the boys.

'They will remember it for the rest of their lives,' he said.

'It's an amazing piece of luck to be chosen in the first place and to experience the new Wembley with 90,000 people is something that will never be repeated.'

The Football Association offered the opportunity to clubs that had children between the age of nine and 12 and had achieved the Chartered Standard status.

Guernsey was picked in a lottery and each club chose a child at random.

Chris Schofield, the Guernsey Football Association's director for youth development, said the clubs had had to work hard to keep hold of the Chartered Standard status.

'It is particularly pleasing that we are able to recognise the efforts our clubs have made by accepting the FA invitation and giving this opportunity for a young representative of each of the six clubs to participate in what to many will be the trip of a lifetime,' he said.