BARROW five-a-side football kings Instant Noodles are just two steps away from the dream scenario of lifting a trophy at Wembley during the FA Cup Final after romping through the opening round of the FA People’s Cup.

The team consisting of captain Joshua Jones, Luke Duncalf, Dylan Wassell, Liam Shields, Jordan Chubb and Brad Jackson were unstoppable, winning every game in the 17-team tournament to progress to the semi-final stage held in Manchester at the end of the month.

Having dominated the small-sided game for a number of years in the local area, the opportunity to test themselves on a national level was impossible to resist, and they didn’t disappoint, comfortably beating teams who had travelled from across the North-West to compete at Blackpool’s PlayFootball venue.

Noodles didn’t take long to find their groove, any worries they might find the going tougher travelling away to play immediately put to bed as they cruised through the opening game 9-0 with all members of the team on the scoresheet other than keeper Duncalf who kept out the rare shots the opposition produced.

That performance set them up perfectly for the second game where Jones’s men knew a win would send them through, but any thoughts that it would be another emphatic victory went straight out the window as they fell 4-1 behind halfway through the contest.

Noodles have produced a number of comebacks over the years though and didn’t panic, goals from Jackson and Shields getting them back into the match.

From then the momentum had completely shifted, Noodles dominating the rest of the contest to seal a brilliant 9-4 win. Chubb, Jones and Jackson once again chipped in with the rest of the goals while Wassell at the back was a key man in instigating the attacks.

Even with qualification for the quarter-finals already secured, Noodles didn’t ease off in the final group game, winning 4-2 to claim top spot.

In the quarter-finals Noodles started like a house on fire, storming into a 3-0 lead, but then complacency kicked in as they conceded two goals in a minute, and with Duncalf being called upon increasingly to pull off saves it looked like they might fall at this hurdle. However Noodles eventually awoke from their slumber and a brilliant finale saw them run out 9-2 winners.

It was the semi-final which made the rest of the competition really take notice though. Jackson and Chubb proved impossible to stop as Noodles defeated the stage favourites and former winners 10-2, setting themselves up perfectly for the final against a talented Bayern Bru outfit, who had also impressed throughout.

Shields got Noodles off to the perfect start, but a quick equaliser for Bayern served as notice that they wouldn’t go away easily.Two quick-fire goals from Jackson had Noodles on the brink, and despite another goal back for Bayern, further strikes from Jackson, Chubb and Shields were enough to book their passage to the next stage.

The next round takes place in Manchester on Sunday March 26, with the winners qualifying for the final in Birmingham at the end of April.