The England Veterans have picked up their fifth World Seniors title, beating Scotland 4–0 in the Final at Hua Hin Stadium, Thailand, on Saturday, 9th June. The win marks the side’s third consecutive victory in the Thai-based tournament and comes less than a week before Gareth Southgate’s England team travel to Russia for the World Cup.

England and Scotland had already met in the opening game of the tournament, with England running out 2–1 winners.

The Final promised to be a cagey affair and so it started, with both sides showing each other a great deal of respect in the opening exchanges.

England took the lead on 27 minutes when central defender, Mark Saunders, headed home from a corner. Saunders finished the game as Captain, taking over from Peter Beagrie who pulled up midway through the first half with a suspected knee injury.

England weren’t able to add to their lead until the second half, when Jason Price scored after twelve minutes, following good work down the right by Steve Jones and Lee Elam.

The game was wrapped up in a two minute spell, mid-way through the second half, when England scored a quick-fire double to take the game away from the Scots. Lee Elam scored England’s third, in a move he started with Nicky Southall, finishing after a deft flick by Steve Jones had split the Scottish defence.

Within seconds of the restart, Steve Jones had a goal for himself, picking up on a high ball over the Scottish defence and converting the one-on-one with Derek Barnes in the Scottish goal. England cruised to victory, using the remaining time to get on as many members of the squad as possible, so all could enjoy the World Cup Final experience.

Starting in goal for England in his third consecutive tournament was Midsomer Norton’s Steve Phillips. Steve said: “To win one World Cup was fantastic, but to win three is absolutely unbelievable. We’ve got such a great bunch of guys in this team, which made a huge difference, a lot of experience and still very talented. I’m really proud to be part of this team and this achievement.”

Initially conceived by the Senior Football Association of Thailand to promote the country and its tourism in the wake of the Tsunami, the competition has become an annual event, held in a different province of Thailand each year.

Ian Nockolds