Instant Noodles came within a penalty shoot-out from being crowned the best small-sided team in the country as another series of dazzling displays took them to the last four of the FA People’s Cup final at St George’s Park.

A staggering 4,500 teams entered the competition, and having conquered the North West region, coming out on top in the Blackpool and Manchester stages, they faced off with 11 of the best the nation has to offer, topping their group of six before successfully navigating their way through the quarter-final stage.

In the semi-finals, they pushed eventual winners Scorpionz Blue all the way, who they had already beaten in the group stage, but luck wasn’t on their side in the shoot-out, as a 3-2 defeat ended their remarkable run.

With the dream of lifting a trophy at Wembley during the FA Cup Final as well as the honour of being recognised as the best, competition was fierce throughout the day.

Noodles got off to the perfect start, a Jordan Chubb strike after a smart turn giving them a 1-0 win before Adam Spence sealed another 1-0 victory, this one against Scorpionz.

However, following an injury to Liam Shields that ruled him out for the rest of the tournament, a 1-0 defeat, and a 0-0 draw in which keeper Keith Holmes was forced to make numerous saves after that meant Noodles needed a result in their final match to be sure of going through.

Chubb gave them the lead following magnificent individual work from Joe Tindale, however a quickfire double from their opponents saw Noodles 2-1 down and potentially facing elimination.

With seconds remaining, great play between Dylan Wassell and Spence put Tindale in and rare right-footed finish not only secured a draw, but top spot in the group.

They carried that momentum into the quarter finals, producing arguably their best performance, as Tindale's fine right-footed finish set up a rematch with Scorpionz, which was a very cagey affair with very few chances.

Noodles’ best effort came from Spence, but his strike never really troubled the keeper as the game went to the dreaded penalties.

Noodles went down in heart-breaking fashion, but with the knowledge they can beat the best, they will be looking to go all the way next year.