Back at Salford City Stadium tension was growing as the remaining 50 footballers began day 3 of The Chance UK Final. The players began the day warming up and started to play 11-a-side matches that were closely monitored and assessed by Nike's elite judging panel.
Jimmy Gilligan, Head Coach of the Nike Academy said; “There are some boys really starting to shine now. I can see who is really hungry to take this chance.”
In the afternoon the boys split off into 4 groups and took part in simple drills and stretches to ensure those 28 going through to The UK Chance final tomorrow were prepared for the game of their life.
The 50 guys then travelled back to Mottram Hall to enjoy the pool and down time followed by dinner at 18:00. After a day of gruelling work and in a very tense atmosphere, the final 28 boys that had made it through to Sunday's final were announced.
Jimmy Gilligan; “We’ve found a high standard that will make us proud tomorrow. We are confident that the 3 winners we choose tomorrow will go to the global finals and make the UK proud”.”
Whilst the boys that did not make the cut were immediately sent home, the remaining boys carried on enjoying downtime in the Nike players lounge (Xbox, table tennis, foosball, TV). Jimmy Gilligan said; “for those of you who are going home today, the journey is not over for you unless you want it to be.”
Later as part of a surprise for the 28 finalists, Ben Amos the 1st team Manchester United goalkeeper popped in to chat to the boys about his career, experiences and lend his advice to the guys ahead of tomorrow’s big final.
For the final 28 boys, there is one more day to really impress as the final 3 are selected on Sunday. The chosen finalists will then go on to represent the UK in The Chance Global Final in Barcelona.
Stay tuned to SoccerBible as we'll be following the UK finalists all the way to the Global Final in Barcelona. Check back tomorrow for all of the action from day 3 of The Chance UK Final.