Oxford United U18s came from behind to beat Cardiff City 3-1 at the Kassam Satdium in the FA Youth Cup last night.
The U's went behind in the third minute and were down by a goal at the break, before an emphatic second half performance saw them win 3-1 thanks to a leveller from full-back Rashane Maxwell and a double from Gatlin O’Donkor.
The U’s now face a Fifth Round tie in the FA Youth Cup for the first time since club records began,
Maxwell told us
“We motivated each other at half time because we knew we were still in the game and we had had some good chances. We were speaking about what we could do better and Chris Hackett was telling us how we had been in that position before and we’ve always come back and fought hard. As a team, socially and physically we are so together.
“It’s a very big moment for us. Even the speech before, saying to do this for our friends and family, we all put our soul and everything into it. It shows how much football means to us and it’s a big moment in all of our careers.”
Coach Chris Hackett said
“I thought we started really well to be honest, their goal was a great hit and it stunned us for five minutes, but the boys reacted really well. We controlled the game and had good moments around their box but lacked any real quality. The boys recognised coming in at half time that they were bang in the game and just needed that quality that we bought in the second half.”
“It’s a young group with some first years in there. They were here watching the Arsenal game and will have taken some inspiration from that but it’s their first time in a real big game when they have fans in a stadium like this, coaching staff from the club and it’s a lot of pressure but they dealt with it really well. The message before was to get a result, but to enjoy the occasion and express yourself because you’re good players and the boys did that.”
The U’s now look ahead as they host Plymouth Argyle in the South West Youth Alliance League this Saturday, entering a busy month of fixtures.