Loughborough beat Tipton Town in the final 2-0 thanks to goals from Jack Beckett and Daniel Nti. Check out some great action shots courtesy of Garry Griffiths.

They are as follows:

Callum Williams - dominating centre-half who represented Loughborough at the Home Nations tournament for English Universities.
George Nash – only first year nomination, outstanding central midfielder who played for English Universities in April.
Jordan Barker – skillful winger or equally capable at full-back member of the English Universities team.
Nick Jupp – Goalkeeper who played for Great Britain Universities in the summer and had an England C call-up this year.
Kieran Murphy – Centre-half who gained a silver in the World Universities Games in China in the summer.
Danny Sleath – Midfielder who was a key part of the Great Britain Universities team that won a historic silver in China.
Will Rooke – England Futsal midfield star.
Kieran McKenna – First team coach leaving to join his beloved Tottenham Hotspur after graduating, has made an outstanding contribution to the clubs’ development.

Well done to all the nominations. The Athletic Union will announce the successful nominees in due course.

Buoyed by a fantastic display against Tottenham on Friday night, the students returned to action on Monday, George Nash passing a late fitness test to play the no. 4 role at the bottom of the diamond, and Jordan Barker occupied at left-back to cut any threat of the pacey right winger.

Loughborough started the game well and in typical fashion enjoyed large spells of possession. They had to wait though to break the deadlock and just before the break their patience paid off against a stern Tipton rearguard. Jack Beckett turning the ball home for his second goal in as many games. Beckett had made a big impact in the top of the diamond role, a performance that would later earn him the Man of the Match award.

Tipton came out fired up after the break and but for some excellent saves from Brendan Hazlett could have found themselves level, 3 shots on target in the opening 2 minutes of the second half.

But as the game went on, Loughborough began to assert their passing game on the final and with time running out for Tipton the result was secured. Beckett this time the provider for the goal machine Daniel Nti to fire Loughborough 2-0 and give them the trophy.

‘It’s a fantastic way for me to leave the club having won the League Cup here at Walsall. It was a special night and although I will be moving on, my door is always open for those lads and their future careers.’ Said Peter Simmons.

Nti’s goal was the 150th of Loughborough’s season… and for those who are superstitious the last time Loughborough won the league cup they went up as champions the following season.

The game was the first celebratory fixture at the new development that has been built to create a permanent home for the club at the University, and provide changing facilities for the Holywell Park pitches at the West end of campus.

Despite the inclement weather conditions a sizeable crowd attended the historical evening, in which the students gave good account of themselves against a Tottenham Hotspur U18 XI.

To celebrate the opening fixture Loughborough University Sports Hall of Fame member Bob Wilson was the special guest, and spoke passionately to invited guests about his time as a student.

The Loughborough team have enjoyed another fine season, finishing in fifth place in the Midland Football Alliance and winning the League Cup. So expectations were high before the match.

However the students started nervously. An early goal from Darren McQueen gave Spurs a 1-0 lead. Loughborough came into the game as the first half progressed. Goals from Daniel Nti and Matt Collino put Loughborough 2-1 ahead at half time.

The second half saw fine performances by both teams, who were intent on playing passing football. Loughborough looked like they were going to claim a famous victory through an Nti penalty and a Jack Beckett goal that gave the students a 4-3 advantage. However an own goal in the 90 minute gave Spurs the equaliser.

The visitors eventually took the spoils, winning the penalty shootout 4-1.

Despite the result Loughborough Football Head Coach Stuart McLaren was pleased with the performance and the occasion. Speaking pitch side after the match he said:

“A draw was a fair result. In the early part we stood off them and gave them too much respect. But once we got into our rhythm we caused them problems…Tottenham were very complementary about how we played.

“The stadium was first class. We’ve been looking forward to playing here and it was everything we expected it would be. There are a number of professional football clubs who would be jealous of this facility. We are excited about playing our football here.”

Photograph courtesy of Neil Plumb/Plumb Images

‘I’ve had the pleasure of coaching some great players and I’ve picked out a 16 for my all-time team.’ Said Simmons.

My All-time XI
1. Nick Jupp – went on to play in the World Universities Final for Great Britain
2. Alex McEwan – heart on the sleeve player, a real clubman
3. Bobby Hughes – a leader and a top drawer left-back
4. Fred Humphries – battling midfielder with me in my final season
5. Josh McIntyre – classy centre-back who won the Midlands Universities title with me
6. Tom Battams – unbelievable technique, scored the best uni goal I’ve seen at East Anglia
7. George Palmer – played for me in my first year coaching and was a tremendous talent
8. Jack Beckett – gone from U19s to first team, so talented
9. Mikel Suarez – took him from Sunday football to end up as first team player of the year
10. Nick Aldrich – goal machine for me in the U19s, a finisher
11. Mario Georgiou – flair left-sided winger played for me in the 2s

12. Gareth Dean – impressive defender who is at Nuneaton at the moment
14. Sam Coe – composed defender or centre-mid for two seasons with me in 4s & 2s
15. Tom Nadin – talented centre-mid, fantastic ability with both feet
16. Jack Rogers – should have gone on to play 1s, a goalscorer with everything
17. Charlie Mpi – pacey striker, went on to score in the BUCS final

‘It’s been a decision I have been weighing up for a long time now. With a University club especially, you are custodians of an institution for the time you are here. It is time for the next generation to take us forward in this fantastic facility.’ Said Simmons.

‘I leave the club in great shape and under a fantastic head coach. The team is looking as good as ever with players like Nashy and Willo, they will go from strength to strength. Hopefully in someway I have made a difference during my time here and I will still be involved in the alumni no doubt.’

‘Tomorrow is a great celebration for the club and a fantastic way to sign off my duties with a lot of faces from the past and present.’

Friday sees a showpiece fixture in the brand new Loughborough University Stadium with Loughborough taking on Tottenham Hotspur U18s in front of the biggest ever football crowd on record.

The 20 man list to face a Tottenham Hotspur U/18 XI on Friday features some of the clubs best performers from the 2011/12 season and will be seeking to provide a difficult match for the young professionals.

When asked about the make up of the squad McLaren admitted to working through a difficult process:

‘To name all of the lads who have contributed so well to the programs success this season would have left us with a squad far too big to be practical for a one-off match such as Friday’s. We had to take a number of factors into consideration and ultimately have come up with a group who will no doubt produce a performance we can all be proud of.’

Freshers George Nash, George Williams, Seb Baxter, Daniel Nti, and Charlie Turnbull have all made the cut, which points to a very bright future, with loyal servants Daniel Delderfield, Raul Alexis, Tom Nadin, and Brendan Hazlett providing experience which will be invaluable.

Loughborough University F.C. Squad:
Goalkeepers: Brendan Hazlett, Danny Lowton.
Defenders: George Williams, Callum Williams, Seb Baxter, Conor Mitchell, Lawrence Heard, Daniel Partridge.
Midfielders: George Nash, Michael Emmerson, Tom Nadin, Charlie Turnbull, Daniel Delderfield, Jack Beckett, Will McCall, Ben Parry.
Forwards: Daniel Nti, Raul Alexis, Matt Collino, Jordan Barker.

Kick-off – 7:30pm, Friday 4th May 2012
Tickets are still available via Students Union Reception or a football club member.

Loughborough take on Tottenham Hotspur U18s in the curtain raiser that kicks-off at 7.30pm on Friday 4th May 2012. Tickets are still available from Students Union reception.

Please see below a map of the new facility… Sat Nav: LE11 3QF.