WELL, what a weekend-and-some at the Racecourse last weekend as all three of Ascot United’s team’s in FA competition were victorious.
Dave Burton’s U18’s set the tone with a fantastic 2-1 victory over Aylesbury Value Dynamos in the FA Youth Cup on Friday night. Fielding the youngest ever side – an astounding SEVEN starters were FIFTEEN years of age – Burton’s youngsters held on for a famous 2-1 victory, setting up a tie away at Hartpury University.
Speaking after the win, Burton said:
“We’re incredibly proud! The boys were outstanding on Friday, sticking to the game plan flawlessly. We urged them to be courageous, fearless, and above all, to enjoy the moment. Leave it all out there, and this will be a memory they cherish for the rest of their lives.”
Burton was also quick to point out how proud he was that his side rose to the physical test:
“It’s worth noting that at U16 level, games are 80 minutes long, but we played a full 90 minutes on Friday (plus 8 minutes of injury time!). That was a huge physical and mental challenge for the lads, and they rose to it brilliantly”.
The in-depth interview with Dave will be published here tomorrow.
On Saturday, Ascot United’s Senior Men’s team produced an outstanding performance – epitomised by a man-of-the match display from Mark Scott between the sticks – as they beat previously unbeaten Margate 1-0 in the Isuzu FA Trophy. Monday’s draw has since pitted them away at step 3 Folkestone Invicta in the third qualifying round on 5th October, but reflecting on Ascot’s third win in the competition, manager Jamie Tompkins said:
“A great chance to reflect as @AscotUnitedFC take on a huge non-league club in @margate_fc and come out on top, highlighting our club’s progress.
Brilliant win today, massive credit to the lads for their hard work. Scotty was immense in goal but everyone in the squad is playing their part which backs up the buzzing changing room we have right now. We’ll keep enjoying the journey and aim to keep getting better!”
And then the scene was set for Ascot United Women to complete a remarkable hat-trick in the Adobe Women’s Cup on Sunday afternoon in front of a sizeable crowd. Already favourites to progress against step-6 Denham United (one tier below), The Yellawomen were held for over half-an-hour, largely due to ‘keeper Zara Butt, before grabbing two goals before the break and a further three goals after it in a 5-0 win. Manager Nath Baker, who has now overseen three wins and a draw since the start of his tenure, said:
“What a way to finish a brilliant weekend for Ascot football club, knowing the results from the Under 18s on Friday and the Men’s first team on Saturday there was just that added pressure for the girls to get a result.
I said I wanted to see a reaction from the team following the week before, and what a reaction it was, back to playing our own football and enjoying the ball was great to watch. Denham tried to break us down but the girls stuck to the game plan and got their reward, our focus now turns back to our home league tie against Badshot Lea next Sunday”.
And if that wasn’t enough, Racecourse tenants Berks County eased through in the FA Vase earlier on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Brislington; many congratulations to them.