Abayomi: It’s a dream to play in the competition

Tower Hamlets boss Ade Abayomi claimed the FA Cup is the ‘bread and butter’ for his squad, after seeing his team seal their progress into the next round with a 4-2 win at Enfield.

The all-Essex Senior League tie saw Hamlets trailing 2-0 with half-an-hour gone, but O’Neal Rowe managed to pull a goal back just before half time.

And the second half belonged to Abayomi’s side as goals from Ali Ibrahim, Rahim Adama Bamba and Kerfala Kourouma won the extra preliminary round tie.

“It was a very interesting game. We were 2-0 down and didn’t expect to win at that point, but we were really glad to win after how we started the first half,” said Abayomi.

“We are a confident team, we knew that we were so close to going out, but we also knew we were so far away.

“It was great to see the young players fight, they had to fight otherwise they would have been knocked out.

“We knew that when we scored that we would be back, and then from that point the second half just become one-way traffic.

“The way we played was very aggressive and it was good to see, I was very proud of them.”

The victory could prove to be huge for the club as they earned £1,500 prize money, but for Abayomi and his young squad the win means much more than a cash injection.

“For the club the cup is the bread and butter, especially with our situation because even if we win the league we won’t be able to go anywhere because of our stadium, so it is important that we fight in the cup,” he added.

“The FA Cup is incredible for us and it’s not just because of the money, it’s a dream for most of the players to get the chance to play in it.

“I’ve never had a player who hasn’t wanted to play in the competition – it makes them want to fight.”

A return to cup action awaits the Hamlets on August 20 as they travel to Sawbridgeworth, who sealed progression with a penalty win in a reply against Southend Manor.

For now, Abayomi’s side return to league action tonight (Wednesday) as they travel to the Cricklefield Stadium to face Gursel Gulfer’s Barkingside.