A team of disabled children from Merton did their borough proud earlier this week at the panathlon football cup held in the shadow of the Wembley stadium’s famous arch.

The team from Cricket Green School were crowned as the seventh best team from panathlon’s London-wide football programme - which gives severely disabled young people the chance to compete at football.

Merton finished in sixth place in both the U13s and U16s tournaments, which saw them finish seventh in the overall combined standings.

Wimbledon Times:

Chris Chapman, PE teacher at Cricket Green School, said: “This is the highlight of the year for us. Football at Wembley? It doesn’t get much better than that.

"It’s a brilliant event and our kids love it. It’s something they’ve trained for and have really looked forward to for weeks.

"The good thing about panathlon is we can choose kids with a whole range of abilities. Some of the kids who don’t always get chosen for school teams, they get a chance to play in this one and represent the school.“

Merton striker Brendan Skinner, 15, said: “There is a lot of pressure because of the crowd but, apart from that, it’s really good fun.

"You’ve just got to release your passion. Sport’s a big thing for me. It means a lot being able to play here at Wembley. I’ve really enjoyed the matches. I scored a few goals, not too many but I did my best.”

Panathlon is a national charity that provides sporting opportunities for more than 7,500 disabled young people each year.