Samuel Whitbread Academy’s Under-18 football team etched their names into school sporting history on Friday 1 May after defeating Hampton School 3-1 to lift the ESFA U18 National Cup and become national champions.

In front of a small but mighty crowd at the Stoke Bet365 Stadium, Whitbread produced a performance full of resilience, quality and determination to secure one of the biggest achievements in the academy’s footballing history.

The victory marks a landmark moment for the school, who have become the first state school to win the competition since 2016, ending nearly a decade of dominance from the independent school sector.

Goals from Dan Kemp, Harleigh Johnson-Standley and Dominic Fadoju sealed a memorable triumph, but the scoreline only tells part of the story of an intense and hard-fought final.

Whitbread started brightly and took the lead through Dan Kemp, who capped his remarkable 200th appearance for the academy with a composed finish and a Man of the Match display. Hampton responded strongly, but goalkeeper Noah Jennings produced a series of outstanding saves to preserve Whitbread’s advantage during a tense spell in the match.

The academy doubled their lead through Harleigh Johnson-Standley before a defining defensive moment arrived late in the game. With Hampton pushing to get back into the contest, Frankie Kelly produced a crucial tackle to deny a clear opportunity and help Whitbread maintain their two-goal cushion heading into the final ten minutes.

As Hampton threw everything forward in search of a comeback, even sending their goalkeeper up for a late corner, Whitbread delivered the decisive final blow. The ball broke to Dominic Fadoju, who raced clear into an open half before calmly rolling the ball into an empty net, sparking incredible celebrations from players, staff and supporters alike.

The triumph continues an extraordinary period of success for Samuel Whitbread football. The academy has now reached five ESFA National Finals in 2016 (U16), 2023 (U16), 2024 (U18), 2025 (U18) and now 2026 (U18), while this year’s victory comes exactly ten years after the school’s first ever national final appearance.

Even more impressively, since the return from COVID, a Samuel Whitbread U18 squad has reached at least an ESFA National Semi-Final in every season except one, underlining the consistency and strength of the programme.

The squad’s achievement reflects years of commitment, development and teamwork, with players representing the academy throughout the cup journey including Noah Jennings, Seb Kirkup, Matt Thompson, Frankie Kelly, Sam Jones, Sam Lammin, Joel Pallant, Dan Kemp, Toby Starling, Lucas Hammer, Harleigh Johnson-Standley, Zach Palmer, Gianluca Grant, Dominic Fadoju, Noah Anderson, Harry Plumley, Ryan Nayyar, Faris Angol, Ollie Moore, Jake Edwards and James Westwood.

Captain Sam Lammin lifted the trophy to scenes of celebration that will live long in the memory for everyone connected to Samuel Whitbread Academy.

Director of Football Jason Goldman described the victory as “the culmination of years of hard work from a variety of different players and staff”, admitting there was “a lot of emotion at the end of the game from everyone”.

“We are all so proud of the players and their achievement,” he said. “To be national champions is incredible and to finally get over the line with this group of players is a testament to their work ethic, belief and resilience this season.”

Principal Nick Martin also praised the squad and coaching staff following the historic achievement.

“We are so incredibly proud of the lads and all the coaches on their amazing achievement,” he said. “Having been there three times in a row, it made the result even sweeter and an incredibly well-earned achievement.”

For a school with a proud sporting tradition, this latest achievement may well stand among its greatest yet.