Youngsters from the newly formed Pro Touch Academy

Pro Touch soccer stars get set for a sizzling summer

Youngsters from elite academy prepare to take on pro clubs

A TOP team of aspiring young footballers are gearing up for a summer they won’t forget as they prepare to face a fixture list that any professional player would be proud of.
Youngsters from the newly formed Pro Touch Soccer Academy (PTSA) will continue their quest to make it in the beautiful game with a series of friendlies against youth teams from pro clubs such as Reading, Queen’s Park Rangers, Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
It will be a titanic test for the elite squad, which was only put together in January after scores of promising players turned out at Market Road for a special open session.
Since then, the team of 12 to 14 year olds have continued to work alongside top coaches from the PTSA, an organisation aimed at helping disadvantaged players fulfil their dreams of making it in the often-harsh world of football.
The talented team of Camden and Islington stars continued to hit the headlines on Sunday when they made it four wins out of four with an impressive victory over Waltham Forest League Champions Leyton United at Market Road.
Playing their first game in over a month, there was little surprise when the boys got off to a slow start, falling behind in the first half when a lack of communication between goalkeeper Mark Halpin and defender Luke Fagan allowed Leyton to take a sloppy lead.
But the Pro Touch super squad, who were fielding a weakened side due to injury, showed their battling spirit when they fought back to level the scores.
Head coach Taff Islam made two inspiring substitutions when he introduced dynamic duo Devon Ossei-Manyan and Gerald Chikodzamapfeni.
Devon instantly caused the Leyton defenders problems, and it was his run on the hour mark that led to the equaliser when a struggling defender handled the ball in the area to give away a penalty.
Devon stepped up to convert the spot kick, continuing his impressive record of scoring in every game for the academy so far.
Minutes later Pro Touch had completed the comeback when Gerald powerfully headed home Max Bland’s dangerous in-swinging corner.
In the final minutes of the match, Max rounded off the scoring when he unleashed a thunderous 20-yard drive to seal a convincing 3-1 victory.
After the match, academy director of the Pro Touch Academy Ash Rahman revealed he was delighted with his boys: “Some of the players have surpassed our expectations and proved that they have what it takes to go all the way.”