The Hanworth Villa Under-18s put up a strong performance despite losing 3-1 to Crystal Palace U-16s in a friendly played at Copers Cope on Tuesday evening (Nov 5).
Although Palace scored two early goals inside the opening five minutes, Villa’s young boys pulled a goal back through Kieran in the 13th minute.
Goalkeeper Albi then pulled off a magnificent penalty save before Palace scored again at the start of the second half.
Villa U-18s head coach Oliver Hinckson said: “I think it’s a test that the boys need. We’re not always going to play against a team that dominates possession as well as Palace.
“We’re proud of the performance. I think for an exhibition game like this, it was always about learning and testing ourselves against better oposition. I felt like we had some good moments in possession and created good chances.”
Formed in June 2024, our young Villa boys are a team of talented youths brought together by Hinckson, who was formerly a coach at London Elite Youth Academy.
The U-18s play in the Isthmian Football League U18 West Division and have recorded a win and loss apiece. We currently sit sixth in the nine-team league.
Hinckson added: “I think it’s still very early in our journey and I think we’re always looking at what individuals we can get into professional football or as high in the pyramid as possible.
“So I think we can only really judge our success in the 14-month period that we’ve got left of this program.”
Villa U-18s Moroccan right-winger Bilal, who was one of many players convinced by Hinckson to join the team, stood out with an impressive showing.
Bilal said: “I feel like the team did well. We stepped it up, especially in the second half. Palace are a tough opposition and we got the best of them. We got unlucky that we lost the game.
“I think I was expecting something better from them. But the academy is very nice. I think probably one of the best academies I’ve been to so far.”
Attacking midfielder William, who has played at the youth teams of Chelsea and Fulham, also credited the team for “showing a lot of character” in the second half.
About individual performances, Hinckson said: “I thought Bilal was very committed in and out of possession. He showed us some good energy when going one-versus-one and taking players on and being unpredictable.
“For Louis and Devan, they were excellent as centre-backs although they were playing out of position.”
Next Monday (Nov 11), Villa’s U-18s will travel to Camberly Town to play their third fixture in the U18 league. Hinckson is expecting a tough challenge.
He said: “It’s going to be tricky. We like to see ourselves as a technical team, but going away from home on a difficult pitch, we’re most probably going to have to adopt a different playing style. That gives the boys a different challenge.
“I expect us to be in for a very long and rewarding season. If we win the league, we have the chance to play in the overall Isthmian League grand finals. We’re planning to go as far as we can.”
Villa U-18s Lineup: Albi; Youcef, Devan, Louis, Zack; Mateo, Alvin; Bilal, William, Jonte; Kieran (13′ Goal) — Sub: Max
