A career that was stocked with medals, trophies and international accolades all started with one that still holds a very special place in Joe Cole’s heart.
Premier League titles, domestic competitions, and the Intertoto Cup with West Ham United in August 1999 all have a slot in Cole’s trophy cabinet at home. But, as the adage goes, you never forget your first, and the Academy of Graduate’s first taste of silverware came two months earlier.
In front of over 20,000 fans at the Boleyn Ground, Cole and his fellow U18s teammates ran rampant over Coventry City in the second-leg of the two-match final. Having beaten the Sky Blues 3-0 away from home, a 6-0 victory in east London secured a third FA Youth Cup trophy in West Ham’s history, and a memory to always treasure for Cole, Michael Carrick, and the entire squad.
“I have fantastic memories of the FA Youth Cup,” Cole told West Ham TV. “It’s a lovely competition.
“It was an important season for me that year because I made my debut that year and I was with the first team for the majority of it, but I played in the FA Youth Cup and I absolutely loved it.
“It was the culmination of a lot of hard work from the group. We’d been together since U12s and we really wanted to win this trophy, and to do it together with friends made it a fantastic night.”
It was far from an easy run for the young Hammers. A difficult test against Arsenal in the quarter-finals required a replay, before a two-legged test against Everton in the last four.
It was a series of games that saw Cole and his teammates face arguably the best youth sides around at the time. A run of matches that truly earned the side the FA Youth Cup.
“Coventry were a good side but we’d probably beaten the two best sides in the rounds before in Everton and Arsenal,” the 2002/03 Hammer of the Year continued. “For me, they were the two best youth sides in the country at the time, and we’d beaten them well.
“It set us up nicely for Coventry, and they had some good players. Gary McSheffrey and Chris Kirkland were among their group; they had a lot of players who went to play professionally. But we would have beaten anyone that night.
“It was a special night at the Boleyn Ground. It was the culmination of many years of great coaching and togetherness. It was a really brilliant achievement.”
The success of the 1999 youth team is still immortalised at the iconic Chadwell Heath training ground. In 2019, on the 20 year anniversary of the win, the squad was invited back to the Club to rewatch the famous match and share stories from their days as young players in the Academy of Football.
Cole knows just how much winning the tournament means. To do it with your mates made it all the more special.
He said: “To do it with your friends, and in the fashion we did it, and the style we did it in, it made it a great thing. We all met up a few years ago and it was great to see them. Everyone has such fond memories of that run and that special night.
“People still talk to me about it now. West Ham fans remember it for a long, long time, and the FA Youth Cup is really held in high regard. I loved playing in that competition.
“The Club prides itself on young players. It’s the Academy of Football for a reason, with young players brought into the fold. We had some fantastic footballers in our group who went on to have great careers. It was absolutely brilliant.”
Cole knows only too well the emotions and thoughts the current crop of West Ham U18s are dealing with heading into Tuesday’s FA Youth Cup final against Arsenal. The opportunity to write their own names in Hammers history is just one match away.
With a place in the final comes added eyeballs, increased expectations and media interest, something Cole went through himself as a teenager breaking into the West Ham first team.
The retired midfielder knows this group have got the quality and mentality to go all the way.
“The boys have got to get used to it. This is the modern game now and it’s a great opportunity for them to showcase what they can do. They are fantastic footballers and they are in the elite group of young players in this country.
“They have got to the final for a reason and they need to go and enjoy it, grasp the moment on the big stage, and show the world what you can do.”