THE Brightlingsea Regent Colne Football Academy have reached the semi-finals of the National League Cup.

They booked their place in the last four after a 3-1 victory against Bromley, thanks to goals from Antonio Sabini, Rob Harvey and Harry McDonald.

Over 100 teams from the best football academies in the country - outside of professional football clubs - entered the competition.

The Colne's run to the last four equals their best-ever achievement in cup competitions, in the 12 years the football academy has been running.

"This achievement is something the players should be extremely proud of," said Colne director of sport Jon Taylor.

"We look forward to the next challenge in the semi-finals."

The semi-final will be played on Wednesday, April 4, with the venue and opponents still be confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Colne boys recently went on tour to Madrid.

They trained at Atletico Madrid’s pre-season training base and visited the Bernbeu Stadium - the home of Real Madrid.