Easyjet: Stranded Cliftonville footballers make it to tournament

The group got their photo taken at Cliftonville FC before they left on Friday

Young footballers who were stranded at a Belfast airport after their flight was cancelled have made it to England on time to take part in a tournament.

The children, who play for Cliftonville Football Club in north Belfast, were due to travel to Birmingham on Friday.

About 45 minutes before it was due to depart, Easyjet cancelled the flight.

But the group managed to rebook across three different flights on Friday evening and they have now arrived at West Bromwich Albion's stadium.

Cliftonville's Under-7 team is playing at The Hawthorns as part of the Play on the Pitch junior football tournament.

Parent Barry Johnson, who is travelling with the team, told BBC News NI that some of them did not get to their hotel until about 01:00 BST on Saturday - just hours before they were due on the pitch.

• EasyJet is to cancel more than 200 flights

He said the adults in the group are feeling the effects of the long, stressful journey, but the children are just "excited to be in a huge football stadium".

Cliftonville's future stars have a huddle on the pitch at West Brom

The competition gives youth teams the chance to experience playing at a major football ground.

'Stars of the future'

In a statement, Cliftonville FC paid tribute to the perseverance of their youth team and their chaperones.

"A last-minute flight cancellation at Belfast International Airport yesterday looked to have put paid to the Wee Reds' dreams of lining out at the home of West Bromwich Albion this morning but, thanks to the resolve and initiative of the coaches and parents within the group, the team made it to their destination," it said.

The club added it wanted to "place on record how proud we are of the enthusiasm and application of our dedicated coaching team and the players' parents who, rather than take the easy option of simply accepting that fate had conspired against them, went above and beyond to ensure that our stars of the future didn't have their dreams dashed".

The "Wee Reds" getting ready for their big match

The group were due to fly to Birmingham with Easyjet at 13:20 BST on Friday and arrived at Belfast International Airport at about 11:00 BST.

Mr Johnson, who has two young sons aged eight and nine who play for Cliftonville, was among the parents travelling with the team.

He said they had a "nightmare of a day" trying get to Birmingham on time after the flight was cancelled at short notice.

He praised two female airport staff who helped to rebook the group on to three separate flights to Gatwick Airport in London.

They then had to hire a new bus to take them to their hotel in the West Midlands, but Mr Johnson said the bus company and the hotel were "very accommodating" about the changes.

The teams get to walk out through the tunnel like professional footballers

However, he said he still has heard "nothing" from Easyjet and has contacted the airline several times and cannot get through.

The airline apologised for the cancellation in a statement on Friday.

"All customers on the flight have been provided with options to rebook or receive a refund, nonetheless we fully understand the disruption this will have caused to their plans and we are very sorry for this," the statement said.