This year the Hereford United Youth Team took two teams to compete in the Welsh International Super Cup.

One team was under-18 and the other under-16.

This year saw the entry of more teams in both age groups and both teams played in mini-leagues with the knockout stages starting on Thursday.

The youth squad travelled with 25 players with coaches Gary Stevens and Colin Williams expecting to alternate some of the under-16s between both teams.

Monday brought an early start for both teams with a 10am start. The under-16s played Aberystwyth Academy and had to settle for a 3-3 draw, while the under-18s enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over an Aberystwyth Select XI.

On Tuesday, the under-16s thrashed Tregaron 360 6-0.

The under-18s had a more difficult game in the afternoon against Caereinion, winning 3-1. The goal conceded was the result of a debatable refereeing decision, as goalkeeper Matt Gwynne was alleged to have brought down the attacker when even the assistant agreed he had his hands on the ball first.

Wednesday brought the first problems of travelling with a small squad when the under-18s' skipper Joe Lemar was struck down by a virus which ended his involvement in the tournament.

Unfortunately, this virus seemed to spread through the camp and at various times throughout the rest of the week various players suffered with a milder form of the virus.

On the field, the under-16s had two fixtures - the first a tough game against Caersws which was won 2-1 and the other an easier 9-0 victory game against Aberystwyth Select.

The under-18s had their easiest game of the week against Churchstoke and comfortably won 6-0, finishing the game with 10 men as coach Gary Stevens took the opportunity to give the game a more competitive edge.

Wednesday also saw the first of many visits by former United player Gareth Davies as he arrived to run his eye over both teams' progress.

On Thursday, physio Daniel Jones became nurse maid to the players with upset stomachs and headaches along with supplying ice to the walking wounded.

At 10am both sides played in the quarter-finals of the knockout stage on adjacent pitches.

The under-16s beat Padarn United 9-1, with the referee stopping the game 25 minutes into the second half because of the one-sided nature of the game.

However on the other pitch the under-18s could not turn their supremacy into goals and had to wait until the second half to win their game against Corris 4-1.

The afternoon brought the semi-finals, with the under-18s up against Welsh Premier side TNS. Although the squad was now tired and without Matt Gwynne - who suffering with a migraine - they still won 6-0 to secure their place in the final for the fourth consecutive year.

At the same time the under-16s were playing Aberystwyth Academy and again found them hard to beat.

The game finished goalless after extra time and led to the dreaded penalty shootout. An inspired performance by Dale Brook, who saved four out of five penalties, guided the team through to the final. Assistant Coach Ben Toye led the charge to congratulate the keeper.

Friday was finals day with the under-16s taking to the field first at 1.30pm against Wirral-based Boris Park, also undefeated for the week.

The passing and movement of the Bulls; youth team ensured that they were always in control of the game and took the lead through Matty Lattibeaudire after 20 minutes. Josh Hunt increased the lead just before half-time.

The second period saw a strong start from the opposition but Lattibeaudire secured the trophy with his second goal.

The under-18s then took to the pitch to play against surprise finalists Churchstoke, who did not intend to give in as easily as they had on Wednesday.

The game became more even as the skies opened and heavy rain poured down making conditions difficult.

The contest followed the pattern of the preceding game, but the killer touch was again missing in front of goal. However, leading marksman Jack Biggs converted his seventh goal of the tournament to send his side into the break 1-0 up.

The second period was similar to the first with the Mid Wales side fighting every inch of the way. Will Loughman increased the Bulls' advantage but still the Welsh side would not give in. Finally, Joel Edwards secured the victory when he headed in from a corner.

The youth team made a triumphant return to England with two trophies and a hard week of matches. A great opportunity to introduce four new players to the under-16s and also pleasing that all bar four of the under-18s found the net.