Ben Rowley, who plays for the Trust’s SEND football team, recently trialled for the MENCAP England Disability Football Trials, alongside four of his teammates.

Following the trials, Ben was chosen to represent MENCAP England not only as a player, but as the captain of the team, out of 60 trialists.

Reflecting on his time with the international squad, Ben said: “On day one I travelled down at about 3pm and had to meet my teammates and coaches at the hotel we was staying in.

“I was a bit nervous because at 8pm we had four seven-a-side games to play and the starting XI would be confirmed after that so I knew I had to perform. I scored four goals and got two assists as well as being denied buy the post twice in the four games. The same evening it was confirmed I was in the starting XI and confirmed that i would captain the team.

“This made me feel happy and grateful. The next day on the Saturday we left the hotel around 7.30am and I knew it was going to be a hard day. I felt a little nervous but I wasn’t going to show it because I was the captain so instead I put my focus on encouraging my teammates and worked on getting their heads right for the coming games.”

Speaking about the first tournament of the weekend that he captained, Ben added: “We arrived at the ground and had breakfast before our first game at 10am against Wales. There was two tournaments with one being on the Saturday and one the next day on the Sunday which was for the Great Britain Cup.

“Saturday started with a 0-0 draw in our first game against Wales and then got worse as the games went on. We actually didn’t win a single game or score a single goal the whole of Saturday, unfortunately. We played well but the goals just wasn’t coming despite having numerous chances.

“We knew and all felt that one goal would turn into multiple. Ireland won that tournament and we all went away feeling disappointed. However, that evening we did some team bonding at the hotel and despite not doing well in the tournament, everyone’s spirits was high and we knew it wasn’t over because we still had a chance to win the Great Britain Cup in Sunday’s tournament.”

Continuing with Sunday’s tournament, Ben explained: “Something happened that night because the next day we arrived at the stadium and our first game was against Scotland and we beat them 1-0 but played them off the park. We played each team twice and the second game we tore Scotland apart beating them 3-0, and I scored twice and got an assist in that game.

“Our last game was against Wales and we was one point clear of everyone so we needed a draw or a win in order to win the tournament. We played well and drew 0-0 which and won the tournament.”

Summing up his emotions after the experience of captaining his national team, Ben said: “I enjoyed every minute of it and I came away feeling so happy and grateful for the opportunity. I also felt a little sad because it was over and I felt a connection and strong bond with my team mates and coaches.

“The head coach gave me the cup to take away with me because he said it was the first time that they had ever stuck with the same captain for both tournaments which made me feel proud. I would do it all over again in a heart beat and feel like we have unfinished business up there because it would of been nice to win the first tournament. I would describe the whole experience as amazing.”