Gideon Kodua and Callum Marshall were in understandably jubilant mood when they spoke to West Ham TV minutes after helping the U18s defeat Arsenal to win the 2023 FA Youth Cup.
Captain Kodua and fellow forward Marshall were both on target at Emirates Stadium, where a 7,000-strong Claret and Blue Army saw Kevin Keen’s young talents score a 5-1 victory over Jack Wilshere’s Gunners in a memorable final.
After George Earthy had cancelled out Omari Benjamin’s early opener, Kodua crossed for Marshall to put his team in front with a typically predatory finish before the skipper took centre-stage, lobbing Arsenal goalkeeper Noah Cooper with an opportunistic effort from all of 35 yards.
A 3-1 half-time advantage was tested as the Gunners tried to get back into the game, but Mason Terry and his defenders stood firm before late goals from Kaelan Casey and substitute Josh Briggs, with his first touch, completed an historic night in north London.
“It was a good game and I think our boys are just a special group, really,” said captain Kodua, who added to his goals in the quarter and semi-final wins over Ipswich Town and Southampton with another fine strike. “The work-rate on the pitch and off the pitch is unbelievable and that’s how you get here and win the cup!
“It feels amazing [to captain West Ham to a trophy win]. I would just like to thank God for everything. God has done so much for me and there is more to come from me and all of us, from the whole team, so we’re just going to keep beating people.
“It sounded like there were 20,000 [West Ham supporters] there. I would just to thank the fans from coming. They were amazing, especially when we scored, and their emotion was just flowing all over the pitch.
“I would just like to congratulate Arsenal on getting to the final, too. I think they controlled the game really well, especially in the second half, but we nicked out goals and changed the momentum.”
Marshall, who also scored against Ipswich and Southampton, as well as in the third-round win at Sheffield United was equally delighted to add the FA Youth Cup to the U18 Premier League South division title the Irons won earlier in April.
“I can’t really put it into words, to be honest with you!” he smiled. “It just shows, we had our fans here and they out-sang the Arsenal fans and I think that got us through, to be honest, because it was a struggle. There was a lot in front of us, but the boys stuck together and we got the result.
“Arsenal played some good football, but they just couldn’t break us down. We kept working until the very end and in this team Kev says that if you don’t work hard, you’re not going to go anywhere, so I don’t there was anyone on that pitch that didn’t work their socks off for the team.”
The attacking duo also found time to praise one another’s goals – two of 101 the young Hammers have now scored in 30 matches in all competitions in a phenomenal 2022/23 campaign that could yet end with a third trophy when they take on Manchester City in the U18 Premier League national final in May.
“For my assist, Cal was there,” Kodua observed. “He even said to me in the changing room beforehand ‘Kideon, look, I’m always back post, so just find me!’ and I didn’t even look up. I put the ball in there and just hoped and he was there, so I’d just like to congratulate him for his goal!”
And Marshall added: “To be honest, when he got the ball, I thought he had run forward and just lost himself and just kicked it, but he obviously saw the ‘keeper was off hit line and it was an unbelievable strike!”
An unbelievable strike on an unbelievable night in an unbelievable season.
