Rep team result

GFA 5 - 1 Durham FA

Semi-finals here we come: Gloucestershire U-18s stay on FA County Youth Cup course

GLOUCESTERSHIRE FA Under-18s powered through to the semi-finals of the FA County Youth Cup – and for one half of their jubilant management team there was double cause for celebration! writes Simon Parkinson.

The gallant Glos boys hit back from the concession of a first-minute goal to handsomely dispense of Durham FA 5-1 at Cirencester Town’s Corinium Stadium at the weekend, to take a giant and mouthwatering step towards a dream national final occasion.

A key reason for Saturday’s success was the eye-catching form of ace attacker Elliot Gardner, who operated in the centre of a formidable Gloucestershire front three also comprising Andre Freckleton and Jardel Hartley-Keeling.

Marcus Kelly also netted with his team’s second goal as they set about overturning those shock early arrears with some relish to cruise into the last four of the prestigious tournament.

The happy hosts must now patiently await the outcome of the three other last-eight ties – Staffordshire FA v Oxfordshire FA, Berks and Bucks FA v Liverpool FA and Isle of Man FA v Norfolk FA – which take place over the next two weekends.

For chuffed Gloucestershire co-managers Calum Wands and Adam Coyle, the fact they are safely seated in the semi-finals is all they’re concerned about right now: the rest can just take care of itself.

Wands glowed: “All the lads were overjoyed and they were fully entitled to be. Now they’ve come this far they realise there’s the potential to win the competition and everyone’s buzzing for the semis, whoever we play against.

“Obviously it wasn’t quite like that at the start of the game. To go 1-0 down so early was a body blow. We were asleep for the goal but it had the effect of waking us up. The lads stayed remarkably composed, didn’t lose their heads and ultimately the difference in quality between the sides shone through.

“We got a goal back midway through the first half which settled us down nicely and we went on to play our usual game after that.

“Shortly after equalising we won the ball deep inside our own half and went on to score with a trademark counter-attacking goal. In fact we looked dangerous on the counter throughout.

“Scoring a third goal as we did within five minutes of the second half restart killed the game off and although Durham then started playing a more direct game, we dealt with it extremely well and went on to pick them off with two more goals.

“We went to five at the back just to soak up any Durham pressure in the final stages and in the end we were able to reflect on one of our best performances so far.”

Wands added: “Elliot will quite rightly take the plaudits for scoring four of our five goals but Andre’s and Jardel’s work-rate up there to the right and left of him respectively was incredible.

“Our midfield three were so creative and fought so hard and our back four worked extremely well as a unit.

“Certainly for Adam and me it was one of our best, if not THE best, coaching moments of our careers so far.

“We’d had to rotate positions a bit to begin with after losing two key players ahead of the game, Dan McBeam and George Neil, through unavailability and injury. But the lads coped with the changes really well.”

Co-boss Coyle, meanwhile, could have been forgiven for keeping more than an eye on events elsewhere as the last-eight encounter was unfolding.

He explained: “My partner Becky gave birth to our daughter Maizie on the Wednesday morning before the match.

“They were still at Stroud Maternity Hospital on Saturday so I went to the game to watch our lads turn in a superb performance and deservedly win through, and whilst I was there Becky was given the all-clear that she was okay to leave.

“So I went straight from the game to the hospital and took them both home, which made for a nice day all-round!”

Gloucestershire U-18 squad:  Mason Hawkins, Charlie Dymond, Sam Larkins, Tom Anthony, Sam Lacey, Nathan Hewitt, Noah Smerdon, Harvey Paul, Elliot Gardner, Marcus Kelly, Luke Spokes, Andre Freckleton, Jardel Hartley-Keeling.

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