ELMDEN Rovers celebrated the club's 40th anniversary with a bumper awards night at the Princes Theatre, in Clacton.

Over 600 people attended and the evening was hosted by comedian Phil Butler.

Also in attendance was football freestyler Jamie MacDonald and special guest Mike Pepperell, the son of Les Pepperell, who was the founder of the club in 1976.

To celebrate the efforts of every boy and girl during the season, the players were presented with their trophies by Ipswich Town goalkeeper Nick Hayes, who has also represented England at under-17 level and is a former Elmden player.

There was also an auction for an Elmden shirt that had a number of former players' signatures on it, including Ian Wright, Gianfranco Zola, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Alan Shearer.

Manchester United kindly donated a signed football from the 2016/17 squad to be auctioned off to help raise club funds.

To end the night, a raffle was held and a number of the prizes were donated by local businesses.

Chairman Andy Hagen said the evening was an unforgettable event and would like to thank all the volunteers that helped make it possible.

He also thanked all the players and coaches for their hard work during the season.

Meanwhile, Elmden Rovers Blues are looking for a striker to help them settle into the A League next season. They will be under-14s from next season so players should currently be in Year Eight.

Anyone wishing to come along for a trial, or wanting more information, should contact Matt on 07712 262978.