Hampton U15As advance to semi-finals of ISFA Cup
By Tom Scrimshaw
Hampton’s U15 A-team continued their 2024-25 ISFA Cup campaign with an eagerly anticipated quarter-final clash against Epsom College.
The team were looking to maintain their highly impressive start to the new season under coach Mr D Boyes, having won 17, drawn 1 and only lost 1 game so far.
Further adding to Hampton’s motivation to progress to the semi-final stage, was the desire to get back at an Epsom side that had knocked them out of the County Cup the previous season in a thrilling 2-1 encounter.
Epsom kicked off the first half positively, dominating the game physically and passing the ball around with an air of confidence but being provided with the tough challenge of breaking through the united Hampton backline.
However, Hampton were able to pounce on the mistakes of the opposition at the right moments to gather some possession of their own, resulting in a handful of half chances.
After an opportunity that came from an interception in midfield, the ball was threaded through to Oliver Khaksar who brilliantly cushioned the ball round the goalkeeper, finishing from a tight angle to give Hampton a 1-0 lead.
Now that Hampton had the advantage, they looked to build on their lead, capitalising on the misplaced passes by the opposition and switching the ball across the pitch again and again waiting for an opening.
For the remainder of the first half, Hampton stuck to the defensive principles that had served them so well so far this season and were able to push through a period of pressure from Epsom before the referee signalled the halfway mark.
After a motivating yet grounding team talk at half time, Hampton came out for the second half with all guns blazing.
For the first ten minutes of the half, it was certainly the team in black and gold that looked the more promising.
This period of intensity allowed Hampton to reap the rewards of their labour, with winger Noah Rasi de Mel dancing his way into the penalty area, only to be brought down by an Epsom defender, gifting Hampton a golden chance to cement their lead.
Up to the penalty spot walked Alex Pollock, firing the ball powerfully past the goalkeeper into the side – netting to present Hampton with a 2-0 lead.
However, noticing that time was not on their side, Epsom started to pick up the pace of their own performance and soon put an end to the Hampton dominance.
After an undetected run into the box from Epsom’s attacking midfielder, the ball wriggled through the lines to an alert Epsom winger who tapped in from close range to restore the home side’s belief with five minutes to go.
Having experienced disappointment from late goals in previous years, Hampton showed their depth of experience and composure to control the game with some courageous defensive efforts, maintaining the advantage to finish the game with a well battled 2-1 win.
After what had been an enthralling and competitive encounter, Hampton proudly celebrated reaching the last four sides left in the competition, however attention would soon be turned to the next big game against Mountbatten School is the ESFA Cup.
