Pompey in the Community’s Miltoncross holiday course, gave a special surprise welcome to two of Pompey’s biggest stars, Sean Raggett and Reeco Hackett-Fairchild. The pair spent Thursday afternoon touring around the pitches, taking photos and answering questions from eager young players, who were very excited about the professionals’ appearance.
The young talent put on a show for the Pompey stars in small-sided games with some fierce competition. The number of five-star skill runs and top corner finishes on display was reaching dizzying heights, with the youngsters keen to show off their hard work and natural talent. As the rain started to pour, spirits were never dampened with the coaches keeping things constantly moving.
As the top talent arrived, excited discussion and shocked faces were everywhere to be seen as the place lit up in anticipation. It was clear Raggett and Hackett had made a big impression on the group, with the players making sure to speak to every child they could, answering questions and taking pictures with the young players.
Raggett said “We’ve come down to see the kids playing some football, I actually used to do this for a job, I was working for Gillingham doing this sort of thing so it’s taking me back a little bit, it’s been enjoyable”.
“We’ve had a few tough questions but we get them quite often so we’re used to it”, joked Hackett.
“Obviously they’re excited and it’s nice to come down to see them and spend a bit of time with them”, he added.
The guys said they had spotted a few players with some Pompey potential after an impressive display in the matches, with Hackett noting “we’ve seen a few skills over there and found out one of them already plays for Pompey, so the scouting system must be up to scratch!”.
Leyton, Robert, Jesse and Tommy were four of the players at the ground today. “We’ve been doing some training but mostly playing matches today and yesterday”, they replied when asked what they’d been up to this afternoon.
They explained “in our training sessions, we learn about passing, putting the ball through, thinking and communication”.
The boys have been attending sessions for a few years and praised the coaches for their fun-loving approach to the game. It was clear the teams had been well-organised with a tournament format for matches that kept everyone involved at all times.
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