Oxford United fan Dale Penfold just missed out on his chance of £10,000 after losing out in the final of the Blue Square ‘keepie uppie’ competition.

Penfold, 22, kept the Blue Square ball up a total of 39 times, but Basingstoke fan Jack Milller pipped him with 41, during the half-time interval of Sunday’s play-off final between Torquay and Cambridge at Wembley.

“Everyone got three attempts. We both got ten in the first and 22 in the next. Then I got seven, but he got nine,” said Penfold.

“It was a really good day out, I’d never been to Wembley before. It’s just a shame I couldn’t win it. But they were a great bunch of lads.”

Penfold, who saw Torquay beat Cambridge 2-0, with goals from ex-Oxford duo Chris Hargreaves and Tim Sills, added: “I was nervous before the competition, but once I was on the pitch I blocked out the noise of the crowd and it was fine.”

Oxford did have a winner, though, in U’s community officer Peter Rhoades-Brown, who won the Blue Square Premier ‘Chip-It In’ title with a total of six.

Eastbourne Borough player Neil Jenkins scored three, with Crawley Town director Phil Jarman getting five.

He said: “It was good to win it. I got a £100 free bet from Blue Square and a year’s subscription to Setanta.”