Promising, most promising are the comments of Coaches Trevor Goddard and David Kirkby as the Loughborough Emmanuel Under 14's completed and encouraging pre-season campaign that saw their rebuilt team gain in strength, confidence and skill each fixture. Against Leicestershire League Birstall CC luck was against the Emmanuel lads as injuires to several key players at critical times during the game proved their undoing as the lads lost a deserved 1-0 lead to fatigue more than the opposition. The following week Shelthorpe Lions were given a lesson in football as the Emmanuel lads turned a 0-1 deficit into a deserved 2-1 lead before the home side rode their luck and used their large number of substitutes to great effect to score two late goals to give the scoreline a flattering appearance. In the final build up game the 'Yellow peril' strolled into a 2-0 lead before a defensive lapse allowed the home side into the game and an eventual defeat more a result of the terrible weather than the skill of the home side.