Our recently crowned regional npower Girls Cup Champions, St Simon Stock Catholic School from Maidstone, got the opportunity of a lifetime last week when they were put through their paces by England legend Kelly Smith.

The girls had recently seen off competition from clubs including Crystal Palace, Millwall and Charlton, who they beat in the final, to book their place in the Southern England finals to be held at Reading FC on 7 Feb.

Kelly was joined by representatives from the Football League sponsors npower and took the opportunity to meet the girls and pass on some valuable tips and techniques during a training session. The session included footwork, movement and passing drills and finished with a game which Kelly joined in on.

The girls were clearly delighted to be given the chance to meet and be coached by one of the world's best female players and took some valuable advice away with them which they can use in next weeks Regional Finals.

After the session Kelly joined the girls for refreshments and got to meet a number of other female players from the school, giving them the opportunity to ask a range of questions about Football and her life as a professional player.

Kelly seemed genuinely impressed by the girls and enjoyed working with them;

"The girls were great today, I had a lot of fun and I'm sure that if they play well next week they will be in with a chance of winning!"

It was a fantastic experience for all involved and we would like to extend a huge thank you to Kelly for taking the time to visit the girls and we are sure that they have been inspired by their time spent with you.

We wish the girls the best of luck at Reading where they will face other Area Final winners from Aldershot FC, Cardiff City FC and Watford FC and all will be looking to book their place in the National Finals being held at Wembley later in the season.

We will let you know how the girls get on at Reading.