Albion Soccer Club, based in San Diego USA, has over fifty youth teams of all ages up to Under 19, has tie-ins with Arsenal and develops elite players, with former Manchester United player and Salford City manager, Billy Garton, now on the coaching staff.
Recently, Billy, an ex-member of Salford Lads Club, brought his Under 10 and Under 12 teams to England play academy teams at clubs like Crewe – but also wanted to take on the cream of Ordsall, in the form of Salford Lads Club FC, where his brother Dave coaches and his nephew plays.
Last weekend, the match took place in the shadow of Old Trafford with a mix of Albion SC's Under 10s and 12s playing Salford Lads Club's Under 12s in an exciting game that finished 4-2 to Albion.
"It was a cracking match and good test for us as they are an elite team, so it gave our lads a good reference point for the full season playing against better players" says Lads Club manager Paul Houghton "Even though we are just a local team, not full of elite players, Billy thought we were good and I think he was very impressed with what we've done with them. Afterwards we arranged a tour of the Lads Club for all the players, staff and parents of Albion SC and they were there for over an hour."
Now, with the USA experience behind them, the season begins for Salford Lads Club with an eye on winning the league...