We won something no Middlesbrough team has before or since...

A gifted Middlesbrough Schoolboy team included Gary Gill and Stephen Bell, two future Boro stars.

This year will commemorate forty-five years since a unique group of Middlesbrough schoolchildren accomplished

something that no other Teesside schoolboys have ever done.

The under-15 squad won the 1980 English Schools’ Trophy, a competition that is still held today but hasn’t been won

by a Teesside team since, after defeating Reading in a two-leg final, the first of which was played in front of a sizable

crowd at Ayresome Park.

Covering a wide range of the town’s best young players at the time from eight different schools, it speaks volumes of

the talent that so many went on to professional clubs. Nine of the squad signed schoolboy forms at Middlesbrough,

while Tony Sharkey, who later became an agent and represented former Boro keeper Luke Daniels among others,

joined Leeds United and had one year there as a professional, albeit without an appearance.

As far as progressing beyond that to the professional game, Paul Wood went to Portsmouth and had a really

respectable career, representing Pompey, Brighton, Bournemouth and Sheffield United among others, while Stephen

McPhee played in the Football League for Darlington.

Stephen Bell, who made his debut at Boro at the age of 16, quickly became the club’s youngest debutant ever. He held

that distinction until Nathan Wood made his debut in 2018. Promotion-winning midfielder and future head of

recruitment Gary Gill quickly followed him into the Boro team. Gill is the driving force behind this weekend’s

reunion, which will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the cup victory.

“We were a great team – some exceptional players,” Gary told Teesside Live. Belly, who is now no longer with us, was

without a doubt the top player in his age group in the nation at the time.

At Boro, Stephen Bell soon became the club’s youngest ever debutant at 16 and retained that record until Nathan

Wood made his debut in 2018. He was soon followed into the Boro side by promotion-winning midfielder and future

head of recruitment Gary Gill, who is the main instigator of a reunion that will be taking place this weekend, to

celebrate the 45th anniversary of the cup triumph.

Gary told Teesside Live: “We were a great team – some exceptional players. Belly, who’s sadly no longer with us, was

the best player in the country of his age group at the time, make no mistake.

“But it has to be said, Steve Smelt [the manager] was such a huge influence on us. For all the talent we had, Steve

made sure we all gelled and worked together. He got the best out of us and was central to everything.

“He had this ability to make us believe and we all loved and respected him so much. It’s 45 years ago but I still

remember in the semi-final against Coventry we were having a tough game. We won 3-2 in the end but we needed a

talk at half-time. Smelty came in that day and whatever he said worked because we won the game.

To the football club’s advantage, it is a singular and outstanding accomplishment that merits its moment of glory and

serves as a reminder of the gifted football players Middlesbrough continues to create.

Even though there are two who regrettably won’t be there, Steve is excited to see so many of the guys for the first

time in a long time. He is also probably thinking about the majority of the guys.

Steve came to the conclusion, “I have to say, Gilly has done so much for this reunion.” “I’m really excited to see

everyone; it will be amazing. If there is one thing we lament, it is the loss of Stewart McPhee and Stephen Bell. They

were two of the team’s flair players.

We won something no Middlesbrough team has before or since – 45 years later we’re reuniting