WANDERERS may just have missed out on a place in next season's UEFA Cup, but one team from Bolton has already made it into Europe.

St Joseph's Sports College U16s were today bidding to win a European trophy as part of the build-up to tonight's Champions League final.

The Horwich college was representing Great Britain in the finals of the first-ever European PlayStation Schools' Cup in Germany this morning.

St Joseph's went unbeaten throughout the Manchester regional round and last month won the national final at Bisham Abbey, in Hertfordshire, to take the UK PlayStation Schools' Cup and qualify for the five-a-side European competition.

They were facing the winners of the German, French and Spanish PlayStation Schools' Cups in Gelsenkirchen.

Former France international Jean-Pierre Papin was among those supporting the competition, being held at the training ground of German Bundesliga side FC Schalke.

The training ground is next door to the Auf Schalke stadium, which will host tonight's Champions League final between Monaco and Porto. Barry Lord, head sports teacher at St. Joseph's, said: "What a fantastic experience it has been for our boys.

"We were delighted to win the regional round against 20 very strong schools.

"To remain unbeaten through that event and the finals and to become the PlayStation National Champions was our target at Bisham Abbey, but it was almost beyond our imagination.

"The prize of competing against some of the best schools in Europe, on the Champions League day, at the FC Schalke training facility is beyond our wildest dreams."