Boss Saif Mohammed full of praise for under-16 team, but calls for focus if they are to achieve more joy in the League Cup

Westferry Youth were crowned champions of the Tower Hamlets Youth League on Saturday after a dominant attacking display saw off Aberfeldy to lift the title.

The energy of the home side in the opening period thrilled locals and it didn’t take long for the Riverside Lions to take the lead as Juned Ahmed nodded home a Shueb Rahman corner to spark wild celebrations.

Aberfeldy, who played their part in a fine contest, responded well and equalised after Westferry lost concentration in the area.

Jamiul Rashid and Nashwaan Rashidi went close before the break with Taher Mahmood also testing the Aberfeldy goalkeeper.

It seemed like it would end 1-1 at half time, but Mahmood then produced a wonder goal – going past several opponents before slotting home.

Westferry had to stay focused after the break, despite enjoying plenty of possession, but made the title secure with a third goal late on as Rahman finished off an exceptional run by Mahmood.

The full time whistle occurred soon after to hand Westferry the first silverware of their history, boss Saif Mohammed said: “Since pre-season our boys have showed immense commitment, hard work and dedication to get to where we are now.

“I’m really proud of each and every single one of our boys, they have become one of the most solid and attacking sides in Tower Hamlets, but we must not get carried away and we must keep our focus for the cup games because we aim to do the double.”

Captain Abaan Patel said: “Our boys are now champions of Tower Hamlets. We proved we are the best in the Borough, but now we have become the team to beat.

“We are looking forward to the cup games as there will be so many teams wanting to beat us, but we just need to stay focused, organised and positive in our next steps ahead.”

The Riverside Lions will now look forward to the League Cup matches with the first set of fixtures yet to be released. They will look to complete the double after becoming the Borough’s best under-16 side last weekend.

Westferry Youth: Mohammed Yassin, Tommy Nguyen, Abaan Patel (C), Juned Ahmed, Shafiiq Shipkoylee, Taher Mahmood, Shueb Rahman, Nashwaan Rashidi, Peter Mendes, Abu Baker, Jamiul Rashid, Nicolo Uddin, Muhibur Rahman, Shaqib Uddin, Riad Ahmed, Ishaaq Ali, Nabil Ahmed.