Erith Town’s young guns will be aiming to produce another piece of FA Youth Cup magic when they host Portsmouth.

Their under-18 side, led by former Stoke scout Metin Gozde, who has a UEFA B coaching licence, have already won four matches to earn a spot in this season’s FA Youth Cup first round.

Three of those four ties have been played away from home so youth boss Gozde admits Erith are excited to be facing Pompey on their own patch - and hopes a bumper crowd will support them tomorrow night (7pm kick-off) at Erith Stadium.

He said: “I think there will be quite a few supporters that will come down and support us. Just hearing the fact Portsmouth will be in the local area will make people think ‘Wow, how has that happened?’

“Hopefully it will raise a few eyebrows and people will think they need to come and take a look at this.

“We are about the community. All of our boys are local boys. We are giving them opportunities to improve, both as players and as men.

“It’s a really good set up we have got at Erith at the moment.”

Erith have already pulled off some impressive results in the FA Youth Cup this season.

They have beaten Chatham (2-1), Maidstone (1-0), Glebe (7-2) and Boreham Wood (3-0). Tom Ash and Harry Lawrence scored against Boreham Wood before Jonas Petkevicius converted a penalty he had won himself.

Reflecting on their run to the first round, 27-year-old Gozde said: “The Chatham game was interesting because we knew how they wanted to play and how they usually set up. They’re quite clear throughout all of their age groups and into the first-team (on how they want to play).

“We had a specific game plan for that game which was to allow them possession in certain areas, then engage in a press at certain stages and try to win the ball back high and just be direct so, when we did win possession of the football, we could go forward with it.

“We did well to start with. Then we went down to 10 men in the first half. It was 1-1 at that stage.

“But in the second half, we managed to score with 10 men and then keep the door shut. They worked really, really hard, and played excellently.

“There were lots of tough parts to the journey but getting through that part was most difficult, reflecting back on it now.

"The Glebe match, we opened up on them and they couldn't handle us going forward at all.

"It wasn't necessarily our best performance if I'm being honest. But it was quite a destructive performance - we hurt them almost every time we went forwards.

“The Maidstone game was an excellent performance. I think we were unlucky not to win 2-0 or 3-0.

“I think against Boreham Wood, if I’m being completely honest, they probably underestimated how good we could potentially be.

“We caught them by surprise a little bit.”

Gozde, who also coaches Erith’s under-23s and is head of coaching for the club’s post-16 programme, admits their attentions have firmly been on the cup tie in recent weeks.

He said: “All our preparations are for that in regards to training, our under-23s game - just everything!

“The way we want to play in that game is something we are trying to replicate in other games against other opposition. We will see how we get on.

“We will try our best. Everyone who comes down to watch will see a group of players that give absolutely everything in the game.

“Hopefully we can cause a massive, massive upset, which will be lovely to see.”

Their run has earned David Gokou-Siakour a trial with Brighton, while several other players have appeared for Erith’s first-team who are flying high in the Southern Counties East Premier Division under manager Adam Woodward.

Gozde said: “Quite a few boys have been called up to our first-team and have made appearances. Players like Jude Jeffrey, Alfie Eldridge, Tom Ash, Harry Lawrence, Ronnie McLean and Jay Baker.

“At Erith Town, the first-team manager is really open to giving players opportunities, especially when they are proving they are capable.

“For example, Jay Baker is the top scorer for under-23s and he has just turned 18 recently. He has done well.

“There are lots of players that have been given opportunities, and I think they fully appreciate and understand we aren’t lying to them when we say there is an opportunity to play for the first-team.

“One of the directors of the (scholarship) programme is Adam Woodward who is the first-team manager as well, who works alongside Sam Long. It's nice for Adam to see all these players coming through.

“He knows all the players on a first-name basis. If some of them have done well, he has invited them into first-team training, to have a look and to come and be around it.

“It’s a real clear pathway we have here which is something that I haven't seen at other clubs if I'm being completely honest.”

Erith’s youngsters train on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays while they are top of National League Alliance Division B with four wins from four, playing those league games on Wednesdays. They play football alongside their educational commitments.

Tickets for Erith’s FA Youth Cup match against Portsmouth cost £5 for adults and £2 for children under 16 and OAPs, and can be purchased from their club website.

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