UEL Face Tough Test In BUCS Cup Quarters 

Kieran Baldwin looks ahead to UEL 1sts crucial Cup quarter-final tie… 

The University of East London 1sts will meet league opponents, the University of Essex 1st in the quarter-finals of the British University and College Sports Trophy.

The East London side narrowly came through their last-16 match against the University of Hertfordshire 1sts on penalties.

In a topsy-turvy game at Hertfordshire Sports Village, UEL drew 5-5 after extra-time and progressed through a tense penalty shootout.

They now face another tough Southern Division 1A side in Essex 1sts, as they close in on the elusive league and Cup double.

Essex have failed to overcome UEL on two previous occasions this season, although both sides could not be separated in a 1-1 draw at Essex three weeks ago.

The fixture could go either way as Essex have home advantage, but UEL have an impressive record on the road having lost just twice away from in the last two seasons.

Tough team choice

Centre-half, Dylan Feehily has recently been called into the squad and has praised the attitude of the players since he joined: “The Boys work hard for each other and have amazing team chemistry, the competition for places keeps everyone working hard.”

The inclusion in the squad meant a lot to Feehily: “To be called up to such a strong squad is a huge privilege, it puts me in the best possible position to develop as a player.”

Feehily’s strong words show healthy competition among this players to get into the UEL side and manager, Yassin Abidou has a tough decision choosing his starting eleven ahead of the match.

The match will take place on 24th February, at the University of Essex Sports Centre and kick-off at 2pm.

The winner of the quarter-final with meet either, another Southern Division side the University of Kent 1sts team or the University of Gloucestershire 1sts in the semi-finals.

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