Hackney & Tower Hamlets School Team are through to the last 16 of the Under-15s FA Trophy. Photo: Stewart Brown
Hackney & Tower Hamlets District are through to the last 16 of the English Schools’ FA’s Under-15 Trophy after defeating St Albans 3-0 in front of a packed crowd at Mile End Stadium.
The boys will now face Southampton in the fifth round as they attempt to win the competition for the first time since 1966.
The team, which includes players at Chelsea, West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham and Watford academies, has already bettered 135 other school sides.
Record low temperatures in winter played havoc with the St Albans fixture, with two previous attempts at staging the match on 18 December and 8 January called off due to frozen pitches.
But last Friday’s floodlit encounter proved worth the wait as the boroughs’ schools stormed to victory with a thoroughly professional and physically dominating display.
After a frenetic opening in which Hackney & Tower Hamlets won almost every tackle Kenneth Sheawuo broke the deadlock with a clinical finish in the penalty box on nine minutes.
Curtly McIntosh doubled the lead after 22 minutes with a fantastic 25-yard shot at the end of a good team move that was started by captain and West Ham player Nigel Seidu.
The home side then controlled the game for long periods, and it was no surprise when a third went in ten minutes from time courtesy a fantastic solo effort from Alfred Mugato, who has recently signed for Arsenal Academy.
Stewart Brown, Hackney & Tower Hamlets manager and Head of P.E. at Bishop Challoner Sports College, said: “The next game away against Southampton will be extremely difficult but l feel that the team has the potential to succeed into next round of this historic competition that started in 1905.”
“I hope this team can follow in the footsteps of previous Hackney & Tower Hamlets players such as Ashley Cole, Ledley King, Jay Lloyd-Samuel, Danny Shittu, Darren Purse and Lee Bowyer by playing Premiership Football.”
Hackney & Tower Hamlets will face Southampton Schoolboys at the city’s St Georges Stadium on Saturday 30 February. Kick off is at 11pm.
If successful, the team will play either Hounslow or Havering in the quarter-finals, the only other remaining London sides.
Bury Metro, Preston and Cambridge & District are all already through to the last eight of the competition.
Team
Quinton Monville, Jonathan Muleba, Justin Marrah, Sheldon Steeds, Kai Parkinson and Kenneth Sheawuo (Bishop Challoner Sports College)
Nigel Seidu (Captain), Teo Borazon, Imdad Hussain (Sir John Cass)
John Oyenuga, Josh Oyibo, Keli Nutsugah (Raines)
James Arthurworrey, Alfred Mugato (Cardinal Pole)
Kamal Guthrey (Bethnal Green)
Curtly McIntosh (Langdon Park)
Thomas Gogo (Bow Boys)
How Hackney & Tower Hamlets have progressed
Round 2: beat Gravesham 4-0
Round 3: beat Mid Sussex 3-1
Round 4: beat St Albans 3-0
