Don’t rule out a rematch: young stars from Hampstead FC & tournament winners Manchester United

Published: 26 February, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

WINGER Ryan Allen will never forget the match-winner that he scored on Saturday as he raced clear and tucked the ball past the onrushing keeper to earn Hampstead FC a famous 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich. 

It was without doubt the highlight of the day for the home side as scores of the best young players in Europe, many of whom are being tipped to become future stars, descended on London to take part in the England versus Germany Academy Tournament. 

An Under-11s squad representing Hampstead FC were presented with the chance of a lifetime as they tackled some of the goliaths of the game, including Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United.

And the boys certainly held their own as they beat Bayern – and came within a whisker of winning against Tottenham. 

George Travers looked like he had done enough to earn Hampstead a 1-0 victory over Spurs, only for the Lilywhites to grab a last-gasp equaliser from the penalty spot. 

Eddie Lester’s side were just as strong at the back, earning another creditable result against Hertha BSC as some dogged defending from Jake Sinclair and Joe West saw them grind out a goalless draw. 

“It was such a fantastic experienced for the boys,” beamed the manager. 

“It showed them the level that they’re at now and the level that they’ve got to be at if they’re going to play at top. 

“I was expecting us to be competitive but not get much in the way of results. So to get a win and two draws at this level is outstanding,” added Eddie. 

Organiser Lars Nitschke forked out close to £25,000 from his own pocket to make sure the tournament went ahead. He says he’d love to help Hampstead host another international showpiece, but only if the funding is put in place at the start. 

“We had 150 children who were all really excited about playing in the tournament – it would have broken my heart to have had to cancel it,” he said. 

“Despite appeals the community didn’t seem to want to get involved financially – but thankfully Brentford got involved and saved the day. They offered us their training facilities and provided us with everything we needed and didn’t charge us a penny. I can only applaud their efforts.” 

“Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces made it all worthwhile,” 

Lars added. “The feedback was great, so don’t rule out a rematch.”