The young Blues played both their matches on Saturday, routing hosts CD Javea 5-0 in the morning before facing Hercules, who had despatched Villareal in the tournament’s second match, in the final.
A lively battle ensued in front of a crowd of around 1,000, and City appeared to be cruising at 4-1 with a pair apiece from Dedryck Boyata & Donal McDermott. However Hercules, from Alicante, pulled two goals back late on through a penalty and one that appeared to only just clear the line, as well as shaking City with their physical approach.
Reflecting on the tournament, Academy Manager Jim Cassell said: “Considering that we were missing 10 players through injuries, international calls and the post-season visit to the Far East, this was an excellent performance.
“It’s a nice way to round the season off for the boys, many of whom will still be with us at Platt Lane next season, but also for the staff. We brought most of them out to Spain as a thank-you, they have worked incredibly hard this season and I’m pleased we could give them their due reward.”
City squad: Dedryck Boyata, Matthew Brown, Aaron Carter, Joe Clegg, Ian Daly, Greg Hartley, Abdisalam Ibrahim, Scott Kay, Donal McDermott, Ben Morris, Igor Paldan, James Poole, Chris Ramsey, Jack Redshaw, Angelos Tsiaklis, Vladimir Weiss.
