Fulham Under-16s recently took part in the annual Premier League National Tournament and enjoyed a wholly positive run. We've taken a deeper look into the progress of Graham Mills' side.
The Premier League invited all 28 Premier League and Category One clubs to attend the competition, which consisted of seven groups of four with the best from each group (plus the highest ranked second placed side) progressing into the Quarter-Finals.
The young Whites' first Group B test came in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers. We enjoyed most of the key chances in the first half and snuffed out any Wolves pressure, but the two sides went in at 0-0 at the break.
With 10 minutes to play, winger and substitute Tolu Fabamifobee made an instant impact and put us ahead. Then, late on and as Wolves pushed for a leveller, Farhaan Al Wahid and Tom Wingate added another couple to help their side to a 3-0 win.
Match two saw our youngsters face Liverpool. Like the first game, we were unable to take our chances in the first half but went on to play some of our best attacking football after the break. Jaye Long was in the right place to tap home after an initial shot was parried, before we extended our lead courtesy of a well-worked team goal.
Al Wahid burst down the left before crossing to Luca Picotta, who opened his body up before placing a perfect volley across goal and in.
A 2-0 win and six points out of six for our 16s.
On day two, all Fulham needed to do was avoid defeat against Watford to win the group and progress to the Quarter-Finals. Due to poor weather, the game was held back for three hours, but our lads kept their cool and put in a solid performance to draw 0-0 and guarantee a knockout tie against Chelsea.
Chelsea began the game on the front foot and caught us on the break to take the lead. A pacey Chelsea wing-back managed to get the better of Bradley Slade, who slid in and conceded a penalty as a result.
Our goalkeeper Dino Kaiser dived the right way but couldn't keep out the effort, meaning the boys conceded their first goal of the tournament. Time was running out for Fulham, but up stepped Al Wahid, whose excellent volley flew into the net. We were set for a Quarter-Final penalty shootout.
Jayden Quashie, Jaye Long and Seth Ridgeon all converted for us, before Kaiser made a save to give us an early advantage. Unfortunately, Josh King and Jonathan Esenga both failed to score from the spot and Fulham's run came to an end. A cruel way to lose having not conceded a goal from open play all tournament.
While the penalty misses were heartbreaking for both England Under-16 internationals who so often - and will continue to - shine, this experience will no doubt prove to be beneficial in the long run.
The young Whites put it right on the final day in a friendly against Everton, winning on penalties after a 2-2 draw to ensure they ended their experience on a high.
Head Coach Mills gave us his thoughts after the tournament.
“Overall, there is no shame in losing on penalties and we can be proud of the players’ hard work and commitment to the creative possession they demonstrated," he said. "Similarly, their collective defensive solidity meant they were the only side along with eventual winners Aston Villa who conceded no goals from open play.
"Although they didn’t go as far in the competition as their performances merited, they will take great confidence into the remainder of the season and beyond. They were a credit to themselves and the club”.
