A Chelsea team containing several players with links to East London overcame a stubborn Blackpool side at Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening to qualify for the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.
Malik Mothersille, Luke Badley-Morgan, Zain Silcott-Duberry and Ronnie Stutter have all either played for football teams in East London or were born in the local area. Mothersille scored Chelsea’s second goal to put the Blues 2-1 up before half-time, and in doing so, continued his run of scoring in every round of the competition so far this season. Badley-Morgan though, will remember this match for his second-half own goal that allowed Blackpool to equalise.
Eye for goal
Mothersille was on Leyton Orient’s books until the age of 16 when he joined Chelsea’s academy. He is an athletic attacking player with a keen eye for goal. In Thursday night’s match, he scored Chelsea’s second goal when he met Derrick Abu’s cross from the right wing.
Mothersille’s initial header drew an acrobatic save from Alan McLachlan before his follow-up volley was also saved by the Blackpool goalkeeper. Mothersille managed to bundle the ball narrowly over the goal line with his chest at the third attempt. The Chelsea attacker is the top scorer for the under-18 side this season with 16 goals.
Badley-Morgan is the latest in a long line of professional footballers who once played for Senrab F.C on Wanstead Flats in the East London area of Forest Gate. Senrab are one of the most famous youth football clubs in the country due to their history of producing players who have gone on to represent England. Jermain Defoe, Ledley King, John Terry and Sol Campbell all came through the ranks at Senrab F.C.
Ability
Badley-Morgan had a quietly efficient game in the FA Youth Cup as he competently dealt with Blackpool’s attacks and showed his ability with the ball by contributing to his own team’s build up play. He will feel he could have done better on the hour mark though when he inadvertently diverted a Blackpool cross from the left wing past his own goalkeeper and into the net.
Ronnie Stutter played for West Ham until the age of 14 when he joined Chelsea’s academy. The right-footed attacking player has five goals and two assists in seven matches in the under-18 Premier League this season. However, he struggled to really impose himself on the match against Blackpool.
Zain Silcott-Duberry was born in Hackney, East London and has represented England at under-16 level. He was an unused substitute for the match against Blackpool under-18’s at Stamford Bridge.
Vocal
Blackpool benefitted from a vocal away support throughout the match on Thursday, many of whom would have stayed in London for an extra night after watching the first team play QPR at Loftus Road the previous evening. Their loyalty was rewarded when Jake Daniels put Blackpool ahead in the sixth minute after a perfectly timed cross from Dannen Francis.
Chelsea though, quickly regrouped from their early setback and played the remainder of the match with the authority you would expect from a category one academy side who play in the under-18 Premier League.
England under-19 international Charlie Webster was the game’s standout player as he dictated the pace of the match from the base of Chelsea’s midfield. Highly rated prospect and captain on the night, Harvey Vale, also showed his quality when he cut in from his position on the left wing to unleash a powerful left footed strike that flew into the top left corner of the goal.
Since the competition’s inception in 1952, the FA Youth Cup has been a rich proving ground for some of English football’s most successful players. Past FA Youth Cup winning teams have featured the likes of David Beckham, Paul Pogba and Mason Mount.
