Glorious sunshine and a pristine pitch made for a stunning setting as QEH travelled to St Albans to face St Columba’s College, with the winner booking a place in the final of the ISFA U18 Bowl. Spirits were high as ever, but the 1s were dealt a major blow in the warm-up, with star man Charlie failing a fitness test on his calf, meaning that he was unable to take part. A small reshuffle saw Lewis start at centre-back, and Joe coming into the side at left-back.

The opening stages were cagey and scrappy, with nerves perhaps getting the better of most players. Columba were a very tall side, and it was clear that they would play to their strengths by employing a very direct style of football, whilst their early pressing play made it hard for QEH to settle. Gradually, there were signs of the away side calming, with Deji the first to show real threat. Despite being goaded by fans on the sideline that ‘he’s only got a left foot’, the superstar proved otherwise, shimmying onto his right and firing a fizzing effort at goal which the keeper tipped wide.

Down the other end, Columba had their moments too. Their tricky number 13 was unlike the rest of his side and had genuine quality on the ball, and after working space for a cross, he delivered a wicked ball in that their striker headed just wide into the side-netting. Corners and set pieces were also making the QEH backline uneasy, and in devilish sunlight, Louis nearly parried one of these into his own net, but did well to recover and scramble the ball clear.

Despite mounting pressure, the 1s still carried a threat when they got the ball down and played quickly. On one such occasion, Aubrey found himself through on the inside-left, but his side-footed effort rebounded off the far post. The wings were where we were looking most threatening, with Aubrey and Theo both beating their full-backs on a couple of occasions, but any pullbacks were well-defended on the most part.

QEH continued to turn the screw though, and not long after Ishy forced a save from their keeper with a header from a corner, the 1s found the breakthrough. Aubrey was again the architect down the left, beating his man and firing across goal, with the Columba defender unable to do anything but divert the ball into his own net. One for the dubious goals committee, though of course coach Albon gave the goal to Aubrey.

The 1s began to relax a little more, but were struggling to keep possession against an energetic and intense Columba side, and despite a couple more shaky moments from set pieces at the end of the half, QEH stayed resilient and entered the break with a 1-0 lead.

Coaches Simon Albon and Harris urged the side on at the break, asking the players to remain calm on the ball, move it quickly, and avoid giving their opposition a chance to swing the ball into the box, which were the only occasions any anxiety had risen. It was also agreed that their tricky winger needed locking down. Alas, the quality of the player briefly got the better of us minutes into the second half.

Ironically, the opening five minutes of the half was as comfortable as QEH had looked on the ball, keeping possession for long periods and stringing passes together. However, on one turnover, the number 13 broke through the midfield and seared towards goal, before firing towards the bottom corner. Louis made a great save, but the rebound fell to the feet of their striker, who tucked away to make it 1-1.

Momentum had shifted, and two minutes later, the turnaround was complete. As Columba streamed forward again, they entered our box, and Ishy dived in with a sliding tackle to try to win the ball. Although clearly not making any contact with their player, he probably did not win the ball either and in truth gave the referee a decision to make. Sadly, the referee made the wrong decision and believed the challenge warranted a penalty, which seemed remarkably harsh. Their forward stepped forward and smashed into the bottom corner.

With the 1s reeling, things only got worse. Now unable to keep the ball for any period, QEH were temporarily overpowered, with the direct style of play proving effective for Columba. Another long ball down the right found their winger, and his cutback was ruthlessly fired home from the edge of the box to leave the 1s teetering on the edge. For the first time all season, heads had dropped and belief seemed to be draining. A couple of words of encouragement came from some players, but in truth it was only Deji who right there in that moment still fully believed: “Just give me the ball, I’ll score three.”

Coaches Albon and Harris had no choice now, but to gamble. Taking off arguably one of their stars of their cup run in Wilf, they moved Jacob to CDM and brought on Max on the right of attack. Max’s pressing game and knack for being in the right place at the right time in the box could be the key to finding a way back into a game that was increasingly feeling out of reach.

Refusing to buckle, QEH began to get more of the ball again and it was no surprise to see Deji being the catalyst for much of our good play. His rasping effort from 25 yards stung the palms of their excellent keeper, whose handling had been impressive all game.

With 20 minutes to go, the 1s needed to score quickly, and they found a way back into the game in unusual circumstances – by launching the ball directly into the box from afar. Louis became renowned for his assists in his days of playing for the 2s, and he sent a free-kick from his own half high into the box. For once allowing the ball to bounce, their defence misjudged its flight and their keeper was caught in no-man’s land. There to take advantage was Max, who toed the ball away from the keeper and scrambled it into the gaping net. Game on.

It is remarkable how quickly a game can turn, and having been right on the ropes, suddenly all belief had returned to the 1s, whilst Columba looked fearful. It only took another few minutes for the equaliser to arrive. Theo was the architect this time, isolating his full-back on the left and leaving him for dead with his breathless pace. His delivery into the box was in the danger zone that defenders hate dealing with, and after a mini-scramble involving Max, Omar diverted the ball home to cue ecstatic celebrations, whilst also reaffirming his regal status.

There only looked like one winner now. Could the 1s find a goal before the end of normal time? The Columba keeper continued to handle the ball well, saving from a long-range Aubrey strike and an Ishy free-kick, whilst it was becoming increasingly evident that the opposition thought their best hope was to pressurise the ref into doing something stupid, with their consistent barrage of pathetic complaints and gamesmanship. QEH continued to keep their heads though as they pressed for the decisive strike.

And with ten minutes to go, they found it. Deji drifted in from the right side and appeared to have held onto the ball for too long. However, displaying vision that Messi or de Bruyne would have been proud of, he split their defence with an outrageous reverse pass to suddenly send Portchy away down the left. Having run from deep, there would be no catching him, and he squared perfectly for Omar to tap into the empty net – a stunning, stunning goal. But no! To the absolute dismay of all in the QEH ranks, the linesman had put his flag up against Portchy. It seemed a ludicrous decision, and I look forward to drawing the VAR lines on the still image of this incident, once we get the Veo footage.

Still the 1s poured forward as the game reached its climax. Their keeper made a couple more saves, and as Columba cleared the ball, QEH hearts were in mouths as their forward controlled the ball well and fired an optimistic strike from range with his left foot. Time seemed to stand still as it became clear that this effort was beating Louis and threatening the goal. Unbelievably, the ball crashed off the underside of the crossbar and bounced just in front of the goal-line. Conceding at that stage would surely have been the end of our cup run.

Instantly, QEH broke and nearly won it themselves. Jacob had been superb in the CDM role since the change, bringing stability to the backline, but also allowing freedom for others ahead of him. It was he and Hugh who started the breakaway, which resulted in Deji getting clear on the left. Again, their keeper stood firm with a superb save to tip his effort away for a corner. And even as the ball was swung in, there was one last chance as Aubrey rose highest, but he could not keeper his header below the crossbar. And so the final whistle sounded, meaning extra-time would be needed to settle this epic contest.

The messages remained much the same from the coaches, whilst they also pleaded for the players to maintain their discipline in what was becoming an increasingly hostile atmosphere. The final whistle had coincided with the end of the Columba school day, meaning their entire school poured onto the sideline to ‘support’ their troops. ‘Support’ meaning ‘to deride, boo and taunt the opposition’ in this context. With the game having already been a challenge, the QEH players now had hundreds of opposition fans to contend with too.

With perhaps the energy levels dropping after an exhausting match, the first half of extra-time was actually quiet and largely incident-free. The 1s had lost their momentum that they had built in the closing stages of normal time, with Columba looking more organised and shutting up shop.

The second half, however, saw a couple of chances. First, King Omar hit a great half-volley at goal from a long Louis kick, but once again their keeper was up to the task. Despite QEH having greater territory, the standout opportunity of extra-time fell the way of Columba in the final minute. After winning the ball in the box, they broke quickly and launched the ball forward. Leo had been a giant in defence all game for QEH, but for once he was beaten to the ball by their left-winger, who was suddenly clean through on goal. The excitement was audible on the sidelines as he advanced towards goal, with only Louis in his way. It looked for all the world as if it would be heartbreak for the 1s, but somehow Louis produced a wonder save, getting the tiniest of touches on the forward’s placed effort to deflect it around the post. It was a mammoth save that kept us in the competition for a few minutes longer at least. And so, it would take penalties to decide who would take their place in the final.

The 1s had had penalty practice earlier in the season and had an idea of who would step up, but no practice can prepare you for the intensity and pressure of the actual situation. In truth, some players seemed a touch on the nervy / reluctant side, and the coaches selected the five who were most confident to take the kicks – Deji, Jacob, Portchy, Ishy and Aubrey. Combined with Louis, it was now down to them to determine the fate of this wonderful football team… or would this contest go on even further into sudden death?

The drama did not end there. Staggeringly, Columba had substituted their incredible keeper with one minute to go, specifically bringing on what must have been a specialist stopper for the shootout. Their keeper had easily been their star man, so what level was this guy on?! Anyway, Columba won the toss and opted to go first, with both sides congregating in huddles on the halfway line. More fans joined to watch the action, cheering on the home side and whistling / booing the QEH players. It was as hostile an environment as you could ever expect at schoolboy level. Who would prevail?

St Columba’s College 1-0 QEH

Their player sends Louis the wrong way with a calm penalty into the corner.

Deji is up first for QEH, showing remarkable self-confidence to take the pressure off everyone else and lead from the front. It is hard to describe the noise from the opposition fans as he makes the long walk up to the spot.

St Columba’s College 1-1 QEH

Did you ever doubt him? Not content with the long walk to the penalty spot, Deji decides to WALK up to the ball in his run-up, staring down the keeper the whole time, before placing it firmly into the corner. Ice in his veins.

St Columba’s College 2-1 QEH

The player who scored their penalty in normal time scores again, smashing it into the top-right corner – no chance for Louis.

St Columba’s College 2-1 QEH

Jacob is up next, but oh no! He places it to the keeper’s right, who guesses correctly and palms it away. Huge roars from the sidelines. Advantage Columba.

St Columba’s College 3-1 QEH

Another fine penalty, with Louis again sent the wrong way. Things are beginning to look bleak.

St Columba’s College 3-2 QEH

An important penalty to keep the 1s in it, and it’s Theo. He utilises his traditional stutter run-up, waiting to see if the keeper moves. The keeper does not move. He fires it low, far enough to the right for their keeper to not be able to react.

QEH could really do with Louis pulling off a save now, they are running out of opportunities…

St Columba’s College 4-2 QEH

Nope, not this time. Another great penalty, into the corner.

The probability of QEH progressing has now hit its lowest in the whole match, even lower than when the score was 3-1 in normal time. For QEH to remain in the competition, all three remaining penalties must go in their favour. They have to score both of their kicks, whilst hoping that Columba miss with theirs. Here comes Ishy. He makes the long walk, he places the ball on the spot, but what’s this? The keeper has mysteriously ‘just realised’ that he is wearing a chain and asks the referee to remove it. Poor Ishy has to stand alone with his thoughts for an entire minute. With the noise from the crowd, can he hold it together?

St Columba’s College 4-3 QEH

Of course he can. Dispatched into the top-left corner. Better luck next time, keeper. But will there be a next time?

So this is it. If Columba score their fifth penalty, they progress to the final. And it’s their best player, the tricky number 13 winger with the responsibility. It’s now or never, Louis…

St Columba’s College 4-3 QEH

SAVED! For the first time in the shootout, it is the tiny crowd of QEH players on halfway who are making more noise than the Columba faithful, as Louis guesses correctly and makes a huge save down low to his right!

Despite the excitement, the save is futile if Aubrey cannot convert. Captain Fantastic, the man who scored the last-minute winner at Freemen’s, can he produce another moment of magic? In truth, he seemed a bit doubtful when the kickers were being chosen, and now the pressure could not be greater. Can he handle it?

St Columba’s College 4-4 QEH

Did you ever doubt him? Keeper goes the wrong way, Aubrey fires it into the roof of the net. And suddenly it’s an even game!

And so to sudden death.

St Columba’s College 5-4 QEH

The crowd are noisy again as the Columba player fires low into the corner to put the pressure straight back onto QEH. For the fourth time, they now have to face a match-defining penalty.

It looks like Joe is stepping up this time. Having scored several in the 2s last year, you’d have to back him, but could he do it again in this most intense of cauldrons? And what is this? The goalkeeper is asking for the penalty to be delayed, because his shoelace has magically come undone as Joe was making his walk up to the spot. The chain was one thing, but for the shoelace to magically cause a delay too? You have to wonder whether this is now genuine, or whether this ‘specialist keeper’ has actually been brought on to be disrespectful and be a specialist in gamesmanship. Either way, the referee seems to be buying it, as he makes Joe wait for a full minute, tying the keeper’s laces for him. This is it…

St Columba’s College 5-5 QEH

He scores! A tiny bit of a scuffed effort, but in the pressure of the situation, any penalty that goes in is a good one. Keeper goes the wrong way and it’s in off the post.

Here comes the next Columba player. Will this match ever end?

St Columba’s College 5-5 QEH

Louis has done it again! Producing a near-identical save to his other one, he dives low to his right and palms the ball away! And suddenly, QEH have a penalty to win the match.

Is it written in the stars? It looks like the King, Omar himself, is stepping forward to take this penalty. You have to assume that he was not as confident in taking a kick as the initial five, but for the 1s to still have players like him yet to take a penalty is surely good news. Confidence Coach Harris has a quick word, and the walk to the spot begins.

But what’s this? You couldn’t write it! You couldn’t fathom this! The Columba keeper has fallen to the ground and is rolling around asking for medical attention. How has this injury suddenly come on, despite him being fine when the Columba player was taking a penalty only moments ago? This must be really severe – it’s not every day you see a keeper go down in such pain during a shootout. Perhaps there’s a chance he could be faking though… Oh yes, he is faking. Coaches Albon and Harris have raged to their opposite number about the embarrassment of the situation and for once, their coach shows the tiniest bit of decency and orders his keeper to stop fooling around. Omar has had to wait for a while, this has become almost farcical, but this is the moment for glory…

St Columba’s College 5-6 QEH

**CHAMPAGNE MOMENT – QEH ARE THROUGH TO THE ISFA U18 BOWL FINAL**
He’s done it! He picks his spot, fires it hard and low, and although the keeper guesses right, it’s got too much power. The King has done it!

Scenes.

Limbs.

Emotion.

The 1s are celebrating wildly in the corner, whilst coaches Albon and Harris somehow find the strength to not join their players and shake the hands of the opposition. The Columba crowd disperses within seconds. It’s over. QEH 1s have overcome the hostility and all odds to take their place in the ISFA Bowl final in two weeks’ time!

Man of the Match:

To put a dampener on things, bizarrely this was probably one of the least fluid performances from the 1s all season, so it was a little tricky to pick out the star man. Leo was solid at the back throughout, Jacob changed the dynamic of the game in his CDM role, whilst Max brought all the energy and belief back into the side with his entry into the pitch. Louis also deserves a huge mention – not only for his penalty heroics, but also for the save at the end of extra-time that kept QEH in the tie. If not for a slightly shaky first half, the award would surely have been his. But for his overall display, for his unshakable belief and self-confidence that kept driving the 1s forward and taking a huge weight off the shoulders of everyone in the shootout, the award goes to Deji. All game, he was the one player who Columba looked terrified of. He did not quite get on the scoresheet, but his carries with the ball created space for others and his sheer belief kept QEH in it. A truly phenomenal effort from an incredible player.

That truly was one of the most stressful and emotional games I have ever witnessed, and myself and Mr Albon are so, so proud of you for finding a way through it. The way you conducted yourself in that atmosphere, the way you refused to let the opposition wind you up, the way you refrained from engaging in pettiness, you showed exactly what QEH as a school is about. The circumstances that led to the victory will simply never be forgotten.

There are moments in a lifetime that stick with you forever. This match brought back memories of a famous QEH tour game in Barcelona in 2007, when a side featuring a certain S Harris scored two goals in injury time to earn a stunning draw against a simply sublime Spanish outfit. Sport can bring these moments, it can bind you together with the people that you share that moment with, and some of those people I played with that day were not people I necessarily socialised with prior to that tour. But that game bound us together, and two of those guys were my best men at my wedding and are my most trusted friends to this day. Today, I saw this same spirit amongst all of you, and it genuinely was so warming and amazing to share that with you. This is a side full of remarkable footballing talent, but what we now have is a proper team, that will do everything to fight for each other. I genuinely believe this experience will make you even stronger and the side awaiting us in the final, Ackworth, should be terrified.

All that was left was to travel home, with the essential Instagram post-match interviews conducted superbly by Ishy. We can now look forward to the final on 19th March. We have reached our Wembley. We have earned the biggest day out that a school side can hope for. We can make history. We can be the first QEH football side to win a national cup. What a heroic effort. Let’s do it all again in two weeks’ time. Beaconsfield Town FC, we’re on our way.

Up the 1s

Written by Si Harris (OE 2001 - 2008, staff 2011 - present)