Rovers U14 were crowned champions at the tenth annual Pilgrim Cup tournament which took place at RAF Cranwell on May 4 – May 5.
Hosted by Boston United FC, the tournament sees nearly 150 Premier League, EFL and National League academy teams across all junior age groups (U7s-U16s) take part in a weekend of football and fun.
The Pilgrim Cup offers academy, elite development and centre of excellence squads to take part in a competitive tournament while also pitting themselves against teams they do not usually come across in the regular season.
Rovers sent seven teams to the tournament with all competing well. The U14s were the stars of the show on this occasion as they saw off all other competition to take the trophy.
Lead youth development phase coach Tony Mee said: “The kids battled some pretty severe weather conditions and all teams emerged with great credit, none more so than the U14s, under the stewardship of Don Cotton, who triumphed their age bracket, remaining unbeaten over seven games.
“This added another trophy to their personal haul, having defeated Barnsley’s Academy at the Ian Kennedy Memorial Trophy earlier in the season. The event was a great experience for all those involved with a real competitive edge to the end of season fixtures.
“All of our teams represented the club in a positive manner, with U13s bowing out in the semi-final on penalties to Nottingham Forest and the U15s somehow not getting out of their group despite four wins, three draws and not conceding a goal all day."