MILL Hill Diversity Football Club is celebrating the greatest victory of its short career.
The Blackburn club, formed just 18 months ago, has won the LFA Ability Counts grand final.
Diversity, set up and run by John Walsh, beat AFC Masters White 4-0 in the final – a team who had beaten them 3-1 in the earlier group stages.
The format saw all the teams play each other in a mini league with the top four teams progressing to the knockout stages.
But having drawn their opening game 1-1 against Riverside then losing to AFC Masters White, Diversity were in danger of not progressing thought to the semi finals.
However, after their early setbacks, they just got better at the end of season competition wore on.
They got their first win on the board with a 4-0 win against AFC Masters Green, then followed up with a 3-1 win against Lytham All Stars.
A 4-0 win against local rivals East Lancashire Rangers and a 2-1 success against Fleetwood Town Firsts booked a place in the semi finals.
There they set about gaining revenge for their slow start in the league.
They romped to a 5-0 win against Riverside – a team connected to Preston North End – to reach the final.
There they met AFC Masters, another team with links to a Football League club – this time Bolton Wanderers – but they had no answer the boys from Diversity who sealed their first major success in style, running out 4-0 winners to win the Championship title.
The winning team included Lloyd Gregson, John Wynn, Brian Lax, Declan Highway, Steve Mason, Craig Walsh and Matthew Highway.
Manager John Walsh was proud of his team.
“This was a fantastic achievement for the lads and I am really proud of them.
“To win this only 18 months after we formed is just superb.”
The next target for the club now is to find a sponsor for new shirts.
“At the moment we are wearing one of the senior team kits.”
Anyone who would like to sponsor the club and provide them with a new kit should contact John Walsh on 01254 52919.
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