STILL trying to catch his breath after West Ham United beat Gillingham 6-3 in extra-time of the FA Youth Cup Third Round, Tony Carr admitted his side made hard work of the game against a spirited Gills side.
But the Academy Director praised the determination of the Hammers, as they came from behind three times in this incredible tie to eventually secure victory.
"When you concede goals you always put yourself up against it," said Tony. "After we equalised the first time I thought that would settle us down. When we equalised the second time I thought we might have the momentum to go on and win it. By the time we levelled it at 3-3 I was just glad to still be in the competition.
"It seemed like each time we scored we were just sitting back and inviting them to come at us. "We chased the game for much of the 90 minutes and I had to make my three substitutions fairly early on. During extra-time I was wishing that I had another sub to use, but to be fair the boys did not stop trying and stuck to the task really well.
"We battled hard against a very strong Gillingham team and I think our fitness told in extra-time when we really overran them."
Not usually one to single out players, Tony could not help but mention the performance of captain Mark Noble, who scored a hat-trick and worked tirelessly throughout the 120 minutes.
"I thought Mark Noble was the outstanding player on the pitch," said Tony. "He had a hand in everything and scored a wonderful hat-trick, pulling us back into the game when we might have gone out of the tournament.
"I felt a bit sorry for Chris Cohen, who was forced to play in three positions during the game, but we needed to move him to left-back to counter Gillingham's direct style of play.
"Young James Tomkins also did very well. He could do nothing about the own-goal, but he played the full game and was very solid. He had to go to school during the day and take an exam, so it was a big test for him and I was pleased with the way he handled it."
Tony admits that FA Youth Cup games are massive for the young players at the Club. Indeed, some of his youngsters seemed to be affected by the occasion at the start of the match with Gillingham. But with that thrilling victory under their belts the young Hammers can look forward to a Fourth Round clash at home to Bolton or Blackburn Rovers in confident mood.
"Some of the players looked startled at the start of the game," he admitted. "We found it hard to cope with them at first. There was a big, receptive crowd and it was a massive occasion for the players.
"But now that the first game is out of the way, hopefully the boys will be more settled going into the Fourth Round.
"Bolton and Blackburn play next Wednesday so we'll go up there to have a look at them. Both teams have strong youth Academies so it will be a tough game whoever we play.
"But the boys have achieved a good win against Gillingham and there's plenty to look forward to in the next round."
Courtesy Tony Fowles, Ironworks Gazette