Ten-man Town’s FA Youth Cup run came to an end at the quarter-final stage following a battling 4-2 after-extra-time defeat to West Ham United at Portman Road. The Blues went ahead in the third minute through Fin Barbrook but Calum Logan was red-carded on 33 and five minutes later, the Hammers equalised through skipper Gideon Kodua. Nico Valentine restored Town’s lead on 68 but the visitors immediately hit back via Callum Marshall two minutes later. The tie was finally won in the second half of extra-time when Ryan Battram and Divin Mubama netted for the Londoners.
The Blues' U18s were unchanged from the 2-0 home victory over Liverpool in the previous round aside from Harry Barbrook dropping out and Finn Steele coming into the team at the centre of the defence with Logan moving to left-back.
Woody Williamson was in goal with Ben Haddoch at right-back and Dan Cousens the other centre-half.
In midfield, Barbrook was partnered by skipper Jack Manly with Valentine to the left and Rio Morgan to the right of Osman Foyo behind central striker Gerrard Buabo.
The Blues, with manager Kieran McKenna, members of his staff and current and ex-players watching from the stands, took the lead from the game’s first chance in the sixth minute. Manly sent over a free-kick from deep on the right and Barbrook powered a superb header across the keeper and inside the post.
On 10, Town were caught on the break following a very similar free-kick with Lewis Orford bursting away on the right with two Hammers unmarked in the middle. However, forward Rio Morgan, the Blues’ goalscorer in the last two ties, brilliantly chased back and slid in to block the cross.
Two minutes later, Morgan saw a dangerous ball headed out after a run down the right and cross, then moments later the ball fell to Valentine on the left of the box but the one-time England U17 call-up’s shot was blocked when he will feel he ought to have done better.
Town were more than holding their own against the U18 Premier League South leaders, whose first-team manager David Moyes was present, and should have increased their lead on the quarter-hour.
Buabo played an intelligent ball into the path of Manly as he broke towards the edge of the box but the midfielder hit his shot too close to Mason Terry in the West Ham goal.
In the 25th minute, Manly slammed a free-kick from the left into the side-netting after Valentine had been fouled.
Two minutes later, Hammers’ skipper Kodua crossed from the right and Mubama flicked a header across the face of goal at the near post when he will feel he should have done better.
Town went close to a second in the 28th minute when Manly had the ball stabbed away from him as he was about to shoot on the edge of the box but the ball ran through to Buabo well placed 12 yards out, but the striker’s effort was diverted behind.
The game was becoming increasingly end to end and a minute later, Regan Clayton crossed from the left for West Ham and Marshall’s goalbound header from beyond the far post was blocked by Logan.
The Blues again threatened to double their lead in the 32nd minute when Foyo fed Valentine inside him on the left of the area and the wideman deftly tried to place the ball past Terry to his left but the keeper saved and Buabo was unable to reach the rebound.
Town had been the better side against one of the top U18s teams in the country but their task was made significantly tougher a minute later when they were reduced to 10 men.
Following a Town corner, the ball was cleared long and as earlier the Blues were caught short.
Logan allowed the ball to bounce on halfway and George Earthy muscled his way past the Town defender, who pulled him back. Referee Paul Johnson immediately showed his red card and while the incident happened a long way from goal, there was a strong case for it being an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Five minutes after the dismissal, the Hammers levelled. Asher Falase crossed from the right, Williamson saved well from Marshall’s header, but Kodua was on hand to nod into the roof of the net at the far post.
Despite the double setback, Town heads didn’t drop and a minute after the goal Manly saw a promising shot deflect wide. Following the corner, Haddoch struck a powerful effort only just wide from distance on the right. On 42, Clayton was booked for a foul on Morgan.
In injury time, just before the whistle, Marshall tried to thread in Earthy on the right of the box but Steele slid in to cut out what otherwise would have been a great chance for the Hammers to take the lead.
Town could count themselves unfortunate to have gone in level at the break having been on top in the first half having created a number of decent chances in addition to Barbrook’s excellent headed goal.
But the red card had given the impetus to the visitors who had dominated the latter stages and grabbed the equaliser, although Town had also had a further couple of opportunities.
Two minutes after the restart, Steele was shown what looked a harsh yellow card for an aerial clash with Falase, who required treatment before carrying on.
On 55, Williamson was forced into his first serious save of the half, Clayton crossing from the left and Mubama heading goalwards but too close to the Town keeper, who saved.
Unsurprisingly given the man advantage, the Hammers were dominating and on 57 Marshall had the ball in the net but with the linesman’s flag raised.
Within a minute, Oliver Scarles was booked for a foul on Buabo after the Town attacker had turned away from him midway inside the West Ham half.
Just before the hour, Mubama knocked a long ball down to Marshall, who struck a 25-yard shot only just over Williamson’s bar. Soon after, Town swapped Buabo for Oli Davis.
Town struck their first effort of the half on 62. Steele fed Valentine on the left and the wideman tricked his way inside before returning the ball to Steele, who shot wide of the top corner of Terry’s goal.
A minute later, Manly hit a shot which deflected wide off Kaelan Casey with the Blues showing some threat despite the disparity in numbers.
And in the 68th minute, they went back in front. Morgan turned the ball into the path of Valentine on the left, it ran away from the forward initially but he got it back under control, cut in and smashed a brilliant strike to Terry’s right and into the corner of the net.
But Town’s second lead didn’t last long. Marshall rode a couple of Town challenges before feeding Earthy to his right. Haddoch scuffed his low cross was scuffed to Marshall, who had broken to the back of the box from where he tapped home.
Orford was booked for pulling back Davis as Town set about trying to restore their lead again, then on 73 Mubama had the ball stabbed away from him by Steele inside the box as he was about to shoot.
Three minutes later, Morgan was yellow-carded after Clayton went to ground via the merest of contact, the pair having been involved in an ongoing feud throughout the second half.
On 78, Casey rose highest from a Scarles corner on the right but headed onto the roof of the net. Two minutes later, Scarles shot well over from distance.
Manly wasn’t far away from a spectacular own goal three minutes later, booting the ball away from Earthy as the West Ham man was working himself space to shoot and seeing it fly only just past Williamson’s left post. Manly went down with cramp following the incident and was replaced by Tom Taylor.
Barbrook, who had gone back into the centre of defence after Logan’s sending off, was booked for hefty challenge on Earthy as the game moved into its final couple of minutes.
The fourth official indicated eight additional minutes with West Ham having most of the ball but rarely threatening, while Town looked to break on them. Four minutes in, Clayton struck a low shot which Williamson claimed at the second attempt.
Moments before the whistle, the Hammers hit the bar. Clayton looped in a cross from the right and Marshall headed powerfully off the woodwork.
The Blues could be proud of themselves to have taken West Ham to extra-time having been down to 10 men since the 33rd minute.
The Hammers had seen a lot of the ball but Williamson had made only one real save prior to the equaliser to Valentine’s excellent second for Town.
In the opening minute of the first half of extra-time, Barbrook fouled Kodua not far outside the area, Williamson saving Orford’s free-kick down to his left and doing well to hold on. Moments later, Kodua was played in on the left of the box but scraped wide.
Play quickly moved to the other end, Valentine finding Davis on the right just outside the area but Terry saved his shot with his feet and Morgan was unable to make anything of the rebound. Seconds later, Orford struck an effort from distance which Williamson batted away.
In the 97th minute, West Ham switched Casey for Battrum, then Town swapped Haddoch for Nick Nkansa-Dwamena, at one time a Hammers schoolboy.
Two minutes later, Scarles unleashed a powerful left-foot shot from just outside the area which Williamson superbly tipped over.
The Town keeper was being forced to make more and more, Orford hitting a low shot which he saved to his left in the 100th minute.
Extra-time had been almost all West Ham but on 101, Morgan took the ball past Clayton on the right of the area before hitting a shot across the face and wide.
Three minutes later, after a spell in which Town had taken the game to the visitors, Earthy flicked a header over from an Orford cross.
Just before the half was brought to a close, Taylor was yellow-carded for a foul on Earthy.
Four minutes into the second period, West Ham replaced Orford with Akpata and Scarles with Liam Jones, both departing players having undergone treatment for cramp with both teams looking very tired.
Three minutes later, Williamson uncomfortably bundled a Mubama shot from the edge out for a corner, before the Blues counter-attacked and Morgan struck an effort from distance which was too close to Terry. Soon after, there was the latest stoppage for a player suffering with cramp.
The Hammers took the lead for the first time on the night and almost certainly won the tie in the 116th minute.
Marshall cut across from the left to the edge of the six-yard box to sub Battrum, who took a couple of touches before hitting a low shot across Terry and inside the post to send the visiting fans wild.
Earthy was booked for time-wasting, then in the final minute Seth O’Neill took over from Steele.
Marshall was yellow-carded for a foul on Morgan but the free-kick was overhit, then Mubama blazed over at the other end.
Town continued to look for an equaliser in time added on but nine minutes into injury time at the end of extra-time, Mubama was sent away on the right, cut in inside the area and shot across Williamson and into the net. The whistle went within seconds to confirm the Hammers’ place in the semi-finals.
The Blues can take great pride in their performance over the 129 minutes - 96 of that down to 10 men - against West Ham, the standout side in U18 Premier League South this season.
The Blues had been the better side until the red card and had spells on top while down to 10 men, while grittily keeping out the Hammers during their periods under the cosh.
Overall, the U18s’ Youth Cup run has seen them defeat two category one sides, Nottingham Forest on penalties and Liverpool comfortably 2-0, and take another, West Ham, to extra-time, despite being down to 10 men, a very significant and impressive achievement for Sam Darlow’s boys.
Town: Williamson, Haddoch (Nkansa-Dwamena 98), Logan, Cousens, Steele (O’Neill 120), F Barbrook, Morgan, Manly (c) (Taylor 83), Buabo (Davis 61), Foyo, Valentine. Unused: Cullum, Graham, Ayoola.
West Ham: Terry, Tarima, Clayton, Orford (Akpata 109), Falase, Casey (Battram 97), Scarles (Jones 109), Earthy (Briggs 120), Marshall, Kodua (c), Mubama. Unused: Herrick, Fawunmi, Uwandji. Referee: Paul Johnson. Att: 3,721 (West Ham: 663).