Last updated at 17:06, Thursday, 15 November 2012

HOLKER Street will stage two Cumbrian derbies this weekend.

The under-11 and under-12 teams from the Furness Football Performance Centre (FFPC) will take on their respective age-group counterparts from Carlisle United’s centre of excellence at the home of Barrow AFC on Sunday.

The two nine-a-side matches will be played cross-pitch at the same time, both kicking off at 10.45am.

Meanwhile, the FFPC’s under-13, 14, 15 and 16 teams will also tackle Carlisle United outfits in matches to be played at Penrith on the same day.

Now in its fourth year, the FFPC, which now boasts six sides, has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of Barrow AFC legend Neil Doherty and his team of young coaches.

The under-11s recently beat their age-group rivals from Morecambe’s centre of excellence 6-3. That match, along with an under-12s fixture which the FFPC lost 3-2 and an under-14 game which saw the FFPC triumph 3-2, were played at the Globe Arena, the home of League Two outfit Morecambe.

The under-13s went down 3-2 at Holker Street, while the under-15s lost by the same scoreline.

The younger age-group teams are due to take on sides from Championship club Blackpool later this month, with the older teams set to clash after Christmas.

Doherty, manager of the FFPC, said: “Things are going well but there is a long way to go yet in what we are looking to achieve.

“The basic structure of the performance centre is in place, we just need to do some tweaking so that we can improve.”

The FFPC is sponsored by Plastic Man and receives on-going help from Barrow AFC and Barrow Sports Council.

Further donations and sponsorship would be welcomed to help fund training venues, kit and travel.

First published at 16:31, Thursday, 15 November 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk