Four Solihull Moors Players Represent England at Over 55s Masters World Cup

It was another proud moment for Solihull Moors Walking Football Club as four of our players represented England at the Over 55s Masters World Cup in South Wales, culminating in a remarkable all-England final.

Eric Marshall, Brendan Maxwell, Tony Newton and Graham Liddiard all pulled on the England shirt during the tournament, adding further international recognition for Solihull Moors Walking Football Club.

With England entering two sides — England Whites and England Blues — both teams successfully battled their way through the competition to set up an extraordinary all-England World Cup Final.

What followed was a tremendous advert for walking football, with the final featuring quality, drama, sportsmanship, late goals, a penalty save and eventually a sudden-death shootout.

An All-England World Cup Final

England Blues made the perfect start by taking an early 1-0 lead, but England Whites responded strongly and found an equaliser to bring the game back to 1-1.

With two evenly matched teams competing for the title, the game began to swing from one end to the other.

One of the most memorable moments of the final came when England Whites were awarded a penalty following what was initially judged to be a fifth offence.

However, Whites player David Bendall immediately told the referee that he had not been touched.

Common sense prevailed and, following Bendall’s sporting intervention, the referee overturned the decision.

In the heat of a World Cup Final, with a major international title at stake, it was a fantastic demonstration of honesty and sportsmanship and highlighted everything that is good about walking football.

Incredible Closing Minutes

There was plenty more drama still to come.

England Blues had a goal disallowed, with another fifth offence subsequently resulting in a penalty being awarded to England Whites with approximately three minutes remaining.

It appeared to be the opportunity that could decide the World Cup.

However, the penalty was brilliantly saved and the scores remained locked at 1-1.

Whites continued to push and, with only a minute remaining, finally found the breakthrough to move 2-1 ahead.

At that stage, it looked as though the trophy had been won.

But England Blues refused to give up.

With an incredible 10 seconds remaining, Blues grabbed a dramatic equaliser to make it 2-2 and send the Masters World Cup Final to penalties.

World Champions Decided by Sudden Death

Even the penalty shootout couldn’t initially separate the two England teams.

After the first series of spot kicks finished 3-3, the World Cup Final moved into sudden death.

Eventually, England Blues prevailed 1-0 in sudden death, bringing an extraordinary final to an end and securing the Over 55s Masters World Cup title.

For England Whites it was a heartbreaking conclusion after being just seconds away from victory, but both teams deserved enormous credit for the quality and spirit in which the final was played.

Another Proud Moment for Solihull Moors

From a Solihull Moors perspective, seeing Eric Marshall, Brendan Maxwell, Tony Newton and Graham Liddiard representing England at a major international walking football tournament was a fantastic achievement.

All four are familiar faces within Solihull Moors Walking Football and have contributed enormously to the club’s success.

To then see England Whites and England Blues both reach the final demonstrates the strength of the England squads and makes the involvement of four Solihull Moors players even more special.

It also capped an extraordinary Masters World Cup for our club, with Solihull Moors players representing their countries across different age groups.

Walking football at Solihull Moors continues to go from strength to strength, but occasions such as this demonstrate that the quality within our squads is now being recognised far beyond local league and cup competitions.

Congratulations to Eric Marshall, Brendan Maxwell, Tony Newton and Graham Liddiard on representing England and to everyone involved in an unforgettable Over 55s Masters World Cup Final.

Another fantastic achievement for the players — and another very proud moment for Solihull Moors Walking Football Club.