Students from HCT's Football Academy Get a Taste of the 'Big Time'
Students from HCT's Football Academy got a taste of the 'big time' when they visited St Mary's, the home of Southampton Football Club, on Wednesday 18th November. The Hereford United Youth Team were drawn to face Southampton in the 2nd round of the FA Youth Cup, with the winners going on to face Queens Park Rangers.
As well as a squad of 16 players, fellow students from the Sports Performance & Excellence course together with parents, made the trip to both support the team and enjoy the experience.
With the Southampton Youth Team already having beaten the youth teams of both Chelsea and Manchester United, the Hereford lads were well aware of the task ahead of them. However, they remained undaunted and started the match well, refusing to allow their more illustrious opponents to settle into their rhythm. The turning point came in the 18th minute when Sam Hoskins opened the scoring for Southampton. The goal relaxed the home side and proved to be the catalyst for what eventually turned out to be a comfortable victory.
Throughout the day, everyone was made to feel extremely welcome by their hosts and after the match, players and coaching staff from both sides socialised in the players bar. Despite defeat, the students thoroughly enjoyed their day at St Mary's with tutor, Gary Stevens, commenting "the lads had a fantastic day and can be very proud of their performance against first class opposition".
