Under-18 skipper George Abbott was disappointed to exit the FA Youth Cup following a 4-2 defeat against Arsenal, but felt proud of his side’s efforts.

Following a dream start for the Young Hornets, that saw Michael Adu-Poku and Tobi Adeyemo earn a 2-0 lead before the quarter-of-an-hour mark, the Gunners fought back to overturn the deficit during the second half to secure their place in the quarter-finals.

Abbott is adamant that the players will benefit from this experience heading into future FA Youth Cup ties and their senior careers.

“It was tough out there,” he began. “It was a fast start. I think we were two goals up in about 12 minutes, and it’s just a shame to go out like that.

“I thought we had them coming in at half-time two goals up. You think you couldn’t be in a better place, and then we concede four goals in what was such a short space of time which is really disappointing.

“I think it was a massive learning curve for all the second-year scholars with their FA Youth Cup journey over, but I hope that the first-year scholars and the Under-16s can take something from this as they’ve still got a year or two more of Youth Cup football to play. It can be a massive learning curve for them.

“I think Charlie [Daniels, Under-18 Lead Coach] and Armand [Kavaja, Under-18 Assistant Coach] identified to us their strengths and I thought we had them. It’s just a shame with the two penalties going in because I think that didn’t help. I was just disappointed that we didn’t stay in the game. It’s just a shame.”

Reflecting on an impressive FA Youth Cup journey, which included memorable victories over Lincoln City and Everton, Abbott is excited to see how this group develops in the future.

He continued: “I think if we had won this game, I genuinely think we could’ve gone to the end of the tournament, but that’s football. Everything happens for a reason and it’s just how you can react from this now and move forward.

“It’s disappointing to be knocked out of this competition, but every game leaves you in good stead for the next. You might lose an FA Youth Cup game, but the longevity of it is can you have a career in football? We haven’t won the FA Youth Cup now, but can you look forward? Can you play in the FA Cup? Those bigger competitions on a bigger stage as a senior player.

“That’s the ambition for all of us in the dressing room. It’s about taking these experiences as a youth team player and taking them forward to become a senior player.”

The centre-half also wanted to pass on his own message of gratitude to the supporters in attendance at Vicarage Road.

He added: “I want to say a massive thanks to all the friends and families of the boys, and especially the fans. I think without them we wouldn’t have had this memory of tonight. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that came down to support us.”