AN OSWESTRY primary school student has won a national writing competition in association with the Premier League.

Marvin Owen, a pupil at Our Lady and St Oswald’s Catholic Primary, entered the competition which was arranged by the Premier League and football novelist Dan Freedman, and was named winner for his age group out of 260 entries.

The idea of the competition was to write a story to the theme of ‘goal’ – and Marvin’s story about his time in football from as young as six years old.

The nine-year-old now plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers academy under-10s.

After being knocked back by Manchester City and West Brom, the youngster continued to vie for a place among the country’s elite young footballers and was awarded with a place at Wolves.

His story focused on his size and how being a smaller player is something he has turned into a positive attribute.

“I’ve been playing for Wolves for a year and a bit,” he said.

“I spent some time at West Brom and Manchester City before coming to Wolves. I was let go for being smaller than some of the other players.

“I hope the story inspires other players who are small like myself to keep trying hard.

“I like writing stories about football more than writing about anything else really, football means so much to me.

“I’m really happy to win the award.”

After being taken on by Wolves, Marvin has been enjoying his time on and off the pitch with the club – and has some big aspirations for his future in football.

He said: “It’s been really exciting to be able to play so often and to be scoring goals – I really enjoy it.

“I train four times a week and have a game on the weekend, and we sometimes have to leave school early because training starts at four.

“My dream is to one day play for England and win the World Cup.”

Marvin’s dad, also named Marvin, spoke of how pleased he has been with his son’s attitude.

He said: “I’m proud of Marvin for many reasons, but one of the things which stand out for me is the fact his schoolwork hasn’t dropped off since he’s been playing football so much.

“He always works really hard to keep up with his homework in and around playing football several nights a week.

“On top of that though, the thing I think makes me the proudest is his attitude and the fact he never gives up.

“For a lad to have knock-backs by two clubs, especially Manchester City because he’s a City fan, but still keep going with enthusiasm just shows how passionate he is.”

The youngster was awarded a trophy for winning the competition, as well as a Premier League goodie bag full of books by Dan Freedman, including a signed copy featuring a personal message.