ASPIRING young footballers met an England legend after they were pipped at the post for silverware.
Durham County's under-tens reached the final of their end-of-season tour, the Fleetwood Cup, against teams from Sheffield, Hull and Lytham.
Having finished second in their group stage, they went on to play Burngreave Saints, of Sheffield, in the final.
A strong Burngreave team, including several Sheffield United Academy players, beat Durham 1-0 in the final, thanks to an unstoppable wind-assisted strike from 20 yards.
But the youngsters got to meet former Newcastle United and England striker John Barnes who presented them with individual runners-up trophies at the awards ceremony.
Manager Darren Knowd said: "County played six matches while on tour and conceded just two goals, and were really unlucky not to bring the trophy back to Durham, with the opposition scoring with their only shot on goal in the match."
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