Tony Wahlhaus and Trevor Ridley spent a bitterly cold Saturday, 2nd February at The Hive Barnet representing Leyton Orient Walking Football in the WFA South-east England over 60s squad trials.

Despite being placed in different sessions, Trevor Ridley in the morning and Tony Wahlhaus in the afternoon, both players had the opportunity to watch the other playing at least some of their trial. Unsurprisingly the players taking part in the trial were all of a high standard. The ages ranges were from 60 to 75 and represented clubs from Norwich and Beccles in the North of the region to Portsmouth and Brighton on the south coast. There were old friends there from Watford, Barnet and Chelmsford to name a few. All together there were sixty players on trial split over the two sessions. Each session was made up of five teams of six players and each played a round robin set of games against the other four teams with each game lasting 15 minute.

The whole day was extremely well organised with a proper warm up prior to the games and with a variety of selectors including the England Manager and Captain, reviewing play. Both Trevor and Tony were placed in teams where all six players worked on a team ethic which was vital and led to both of their teams competing well and hopefully showing each players strengths. As Tony said after the trials ‘I think both of us felt we gave a good account of ourselves and of course we’re both proud to represent Leyton Orient Walking Football’. Trevor felt that it ‘certainly helped to know that so many were rooting us from the O’s’.

What happens next is that the selectors will reduce the sixty trialist down to twenty who will form the South-east of England regional squad. This will then be a possible stepping stone to the full England team. So now Trevor and Tony just wait nervously for the outcome of the selectors deliberation!

Location

The Hive, Barnet FC