Isthmian League

Young Hawks Soar into FA Youth Cup 1st Round with 2-1 Win

Whitehawk U18s Advance to FA Youth Cup 1st Round Proper with 2-1 Win Over Kingstonian U18s

Whitehawk U18s continued their excellent FA Youth Cup run with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kingstonian U18s in the 3rd qualifying round on Monday, 14th October. A 1:30pm pitch inspection confirmed that the game would go ahead after early doubts due to the weekend’s weather.

Impressive FA Youth Cup Campaign

The young Hawks have enjoyed a strong qualifying campaign, starting with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Chipstead in the preliminary round. This was followed by a dominant 4-1 win against Three Bridges in the 1st qualifying round and a 2-0 victory over Worthing in the 2nd qualifying round, setting up a decisive fixture against Kingstonian for a spot in the FA Youth Cup 1st Round proper.

Early Exchanges and Set-Piece Threats

Both sides battled for control early on, with the game played in a competitive spirit. Whitehawk’s first significant chances came from a series of corners delivered by Sonny Causton, which created chaos in the Kingstonian penalty area. However, a flurry of blocks and saves from the visitors kept the ball out, preventing the Hawks from taking an early lead.

Kingstonian Strike First

Kingstonian took the lead in the 36th minute after capitalising on a moment of defensive uncertainty. Mwanza, while on the floor, managed to swing a leg at a loose ball in the box, sending it into the back of the Whitehawk net to make it 1-0.

Hawks Respond with a Penalty Equaliser

Whitehawk didn’t take long to respond. Just before half-time, Jimenez Nsue-Sha stole the ball from the Kingstonian full-back and drove forward in a 1v1 situation, only to be fouled inside the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty, and up stepped Finley Miles to coolly slot the ball home, levelling the score at 1-1 right before the break.

Second-Half Tension and Substitutions

In the second half, Kingstonian began to attack more aggressively, with their No.10, Lee, providing a constant threat. They came close to regaining the lead twice—first denied by a brilliant block from Alfie Knight, and later by a vital save from Callum Monks, who managed to tip a dangerous cross over his crossbar.

Whitehawk looked to their bench to freshen things up with a triple substitution in the 64th minute. Just four minutes later, substitute Mundoma made an immediate impact, firing a well-placed first-time shot across the goalkeeper to put the Hawks 2-1 up.

Defensive Resilience Seals the Win

Desperate to find an equaliser, Kingstonian shifted to a 3-5-2 formation and brought on the lively Hudson-Odoi to break down Whitehawk’s defence. However, the young Hawks produced a monumental defensive effort in the final 20 minutes, with every player contributing to keeping Kingstonian at bay. Despite the pressure, Whitehawk held firm and secured a 2-1 victory to progress to the next round.

Next Round Awaits

This hard-earned win means Whitehawk U18s advance to the FA Youth Cup 1st Round proper, with the draw set to take place on Friday, 18th October at midday.

Starting XI:

  • Monks
  • Deda
  • Causton
  • Miles
  • Knight
  • Waters
  • Erskine
  • Alay
  • Jimenez Nsue-Sha
  • Abdsami
  • Quaye

Substitutes:

  • Khedidji
  • Jones
  • Grice
  • Brown
  • Orrow
  • Janneh
  • Mundoma

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