UNDER-14 EASTERN JUNIOR ALLIANCE TEAM
The Harpenden Town Under-14s EJA squad is a result of Harpenden Town and Harpenden Colts working together to provide a more challenging level of football for boys in Harpenden, hopefully creating a local pathway for Harpenden teenagers into the men’s Harpenden Town Development squad.
Harpenden Colts is one of the largest youth grassroots football clubs in the country.
The Under-14 EJA squad is now part of Harpenden Town FC and the core of the squad came through Harpenden Colts from U7s in 2016, operating as part of a year group of over 100 boys. Playing in the West Herts Youth League, the Harpenden Colts Lions (which became the EJA squad) won the League Cup in 2021-22, then the Division 1 title and the Challenge Cup in 2022-23.
With the generous support of Harpenden Town, Harpenden Colts and our sponsor, CK Plumbers, we are proud to now be wearing the green and gold of Harpenden Town, playing in the Eastern Junior Alliance (EJA). The EJA is widely considered to be the highest level of Sunday youth football in the south-east of England, outside professional Academies.
Our squad is managed by Ben McDonald, who led the Lions since inception as U8s. He is assisted by Simon Foster, a former captain of Harpenden Town, and Keith Snaylam, who is a PE teacher at one of the Harpenden schools. All three of their sons are part of the squad.
This season we have been proud to see one of our players, Chris Higgins (who has been with us from the beginning), signed by Watford FC, whilst another of our players is currently on trial at a professional club.
Our priority is to develop all the boys as footballers and as people. We want to compete and win, but we are proud to continue to respect and recognise the wider Harpenden teams’ philosophies.
2023-24 RESULTS
Sept 10 St Margaretsbury A 6-2
Sept 17 St Ives Town Black H 3-4 aet (League Cup)
Sept 24 Harpenden Town Youth Reds A 3-3
Oct 1 Ware FC Academy H 1-1
Oct 8 Takeley Youth H 3-1
Oct 15 Dunstable Town Tigers A 4-3
Oct 22 Bedford Town A 3-2
Oct 29 Welwyn Garden City A 4-1
Nov 5 LGCE Youth H 0-0
Nov 12 BSC FC Youth H 2-1 (Treasurer’s Cup)
Nov 19 St Margaretsbury H 1-1
Nov 26 BSC FC Youth H 1-0
Nov 28 Dunstable Town Tigers A 2-4 (Peter Cline Trophy)
Dec 3 Welwyn Garden City Development H 9-0
Dec 17 East Thurrock United A 3-2 (Treasurer’s Plate)
Jan 7 Hemel Hempstead Town Youth Reds H 5-1
Jan 14 LGCE Youth A 6-0
Jan 21 Ware FC Academy A 3-2
Jan 28 Maldon & Tiptree Youth A 1-2 (Treasurer’s Plate)
Feb 25 Bedford Town H 4-1
Mar 3 Takeley Youth A 1-0
Apr 21 BSC FC Youth A 1-1
Apr 26 Dunstable Town Tigers H 3-5