Cambridge United U16s vs Tottenham Hotspurs U16s
Cambridge United U16s played host to Tottenham Hotspurs U16s on Tuesday night, with over 900 supporters attending to watch the pinnacle of the club’s schoolboy programme in action.
The evening offered an opportunity to the oldest Cambridge United schoolboy age group to test themselves on the club’s first team pitch, and taste the experience of playing in front of a big crowd against top opposition.
The match itself saw the visiting team from London run out comfortable winners, but the U’s certainly made the most of their chance.
Despite a solid opening 45 minutes from United, Spurs showed a clinical edge scoring two goals in a six minute period during the midway point of the first half which meant the U’s went down the tunnel behind at the break, but by no means disheartened.
United bounced back quickly in the second half with a goal of their own but a penalty for Spurs saw them restore their two goal advantage soon after.
However, the result did little to dampen the spirit of the evening with all players involved gaining valuable experience from playing on the Abbey Stadium pitch as well as being shown a level to strive for by their London opponents.
Academy Manager Richard Meek commented on a successful evening: “Obviously for the boys to get the opportunity to play on the pitch is fantastic. A lot of them have been with the club since they were six or seven years of age, so it is so good for them to get the chance to play at the stadium.
“Having 900 plus people in the crowd to support them was brilliant because it is just so different to what they usually experience. I would like to extend my gratitude towards Tottenham as well for travelling over and bringing such strong opposition on the night.
“I would love to see this become an annual event, because to play against a big Premier League club gives the boys such great experience. The overall benefit of night’s like tonight we’ll probably see two or three years down the line, when we prepare the players for the next stage of their development.”
Click here to watch interviews with Richard Meek and Cambridge United Youth Development Phase Lead Coach Tom Pell.
A superb 926 supporters attended to show U’s their backing and increase the benefit of playing in the match. The Amber Army have another opportunity to watch the club’s Academy in action at the Abbey Stadium, with the U18s drawn against Hayes & Yeading at home in the First Round of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday 4th November (KO 7pm).
Tickets are just £4 for adults and £2 for concessions, with more information available by calling 01223 566 500.