We caught up with team members Zak, Alex, Noah and Gabriel to reflect on the road so far – and what comes next.
First of all, congratulations! Let’s start at the beginning—what is the ESFA Cup?
The ESFA Cup is a national competition open to schools across England. This year, more than 670 schools entered, which shows just how competitive it is. Across all age groups, it provides over a million footballing opportunities and is widely regarded as the top school football competition in the country.
That’s an incredible stage to be competing on. Tell us about your journey to the final.
After receiving a bye in Round 1, we began our campaign with a strong 2–0 win over Kingsdale Foundation School, with Noah scoring both goals.
In Round 3, we faced Forest Hill School and started fast, scoring four goals in the first half. Although they mounted a comeback, we held on to win 7–4. Goals came from Noah, Tami, Charles, Haoting, Gabriel, James and an own goal.
Round 4 brought one of our toughest matches against Overton Grange. Despite a convincing scoreline, the game was more challenging than it looked—their Brentford-signed winger caused real problems. Our defence and midfield held strong, and we secured the win with goals from Tami (2) and Charles.
In Round 5, we played Thomas Tallis School on a difficult pitch, which disrupted our usual style of play. It was a scrappy match, ending level after extra time. A crucial goalkeeper switch saw James step up for penalties, making key saves to send us through.
Round 6 saw a dominant 6–1 win over St Michael’s Catholic High School, with goals from Tommy, Hugo, Haoting, James and two from Tami. We followed that with a 3–1 victory over Castle View School in Round 7.
In the quarter-finals, we beat St John’s Leatherhead 3–0—a significant improvement on last year’s 6–1 defeat. Goals from Tami, Haoting and Gabriel reflected how much we’ve grown as a team.
The semi-final took us to the Cotswolds to face Cotswold School at Cirencester Stadium. It was an intense match, with both teams pushing hard. The breakthrough came in the 56th minute, when Tommy scored from the edge of the box to secure our place in the final at Stoke.
Huge moment! Who have been the standout players this season?
It’s been a real team effort, and we wouldn’t have reached the final without everyone contributing. That said, a few players stand out. Haoting has been outstanding in midfield, controlling games and creating key opportunities. Tami has been incredibly consistent in front of goal, averaging close to two goals per game. Our MVP, though, is James. As a centre-back, he’s been dominant—defensively solid, strong in tackles, and even contributing goals when needed. Special mentions also go to Haoting, Tami, and the new third form players, Arjun and Zak, who have made a big impact.
And finally—how are you preparing for the final? What does being “locked in” look like?
We’ve been putting in a lot of work as a team—training hard, recovering properly, and spending time in the gym and outside school to improve individually. We’re also using Veo recordings to analyse our performances and identify areas to improve. Even though we’ve played well so far, we know there’s more to do to be fully ready.
There are still important fixtures ahead, so staying fit and focused is key. We’re also hoping for a big turnout at the final—we really appreciate all the support from our fans so far.
We believe we can go all the way and win the cup.
Best of luck to the team – bring on the final!
