FOOTBALLERS from Dunnington Primary School are the pride of North Yorkshire.

The school football team have been crowned North Yorkshire English Schools’ FA champions.

Their success has seen them qualify for the North of England ESFA finals, which will be held at the Newcastle United Academy next month.

The county finals were held at Riccall Primary School, with Dunnington taking on teams from from across the county – Gladstone Road and Northstead from Scarborough, Lakeside from York, and Brotherton and Riccall from Selby.

Dunnington and Lakeside, joint winners of the York finals, were kept apart in the league draw.

The opening match saw Gladstone Road beat Brotherton thanks to an excellent goal and an assured performance from Charlie Burley.

They went on to win a thriller against Lakeside 2-1 with two further goals from Burley, against a consolation from Joe Stilgoe for Lakeside.

Having beaten both League ‘A’ opponents, Gladstone Road were through to the final, while League ‘B’ was a much tighter affair.

Dunnington and Riccall fought out a rip-roaring 0-0 draw.

Dunnington’s Rory Thompson and Emilio Bortone hit the woodwork, and Riccall were denied a fantastic goal after a superb save by Stafford Swainston.

Dunnington then beat Northstead 1-0 thanks to a wonder goal from substitute Will Turner.

Dunnington’s fate was out of their hands, but they progressed due to a 0-0 draw between their league rivals.

The final finished 0-0 and went into extra time. With penalties looming, Dunnington captain Matthew McPherson drilled a shot through a crowded penalty box to give his side the lead.

Dunnington assistant manager Nick Bortone said: “The team give their all for each other.”