Q: “Jonny, firstly, congratulations to you and the lads for getting this far. You immediately made history in the competition for the club after beating Chatham Town in the Preliminary Round. How proud of the lads are you?”

Jonny: "We are extremely proud of the lads, and have been so proud of their achievements throughout the years.

Last season we were disappointed exiting the FA Youth Cup (as U16s) so early, after we went down to 10 men early in our opening game, so this season we felt we had some unfinished business in the competition!

It's been great to make a small part of history with the club, hopefully we can continue to add to that further in the future."

Q: “You’re also enjoying similar success playing up a year in The Kent Youth League this season, the lads appear to be enjoying each other and their football at the moment?”

Jonny: "It's been a great start on all fronts, particularly when you consider Zead (Massood) is our only 2nd year, and three of the current squad are still in year eleven at school!

The boys are a very close unit, the bulk of them have been together since U8. The bond has grown year on year and for some it goes back as far as doing football training sessions on Zoom during lockdown, so there's a real connection there.

We went out for a team meal to Zorba to celebrate the success of reaching this stage in the competition, everyone enjoys each others company."

Q: "Jack’s goal (scored after 2.52 seconds, the third fastest in association football) against Chatham Town has really put the spotlight on Rusthall and EMC Academy locally and internationally with Facebook alone racking up a massive 4 million views, how have the lads responded to their new found fame?”

Jonny: "It's been brilliant to see the lads taking some plaudits from far and wide, Sargies (Stan Sargent) goal was also special and got a lot of love as well - and rightly so.

Three of the lads have now made appearances at Step 5 this season, and five of them have also been invited to train with the First Team.

We've had scouts from professional clubs at pretty much every game since, so it's great that we've been able to raise the profile of this group of lads.

Goalkeeper, Jack Glassborow is currently being monitored by Cambridge United, and Stan Sargent by Gillingham."

Q: “Was the Jack Lyons goal something that you worked on in training?”

Jonny: "It's a kick off routine we use a lot during small sided stuff, and Jack's done it a fair few times down the years at 9 or 7 a side but I think this was the first time at 11 a side!

We noticed the keeper was off his line and had to try to ensure Jack was also aware, without making it too obvious what we were going to do...

He actually nearly scored a free kick about a minute after from similar sort of range... But, to go on from there and get a hat-trick is a remarkable achievement.

It gave us a great start to go on build on against a top Chatham Town side."

Q: “Over 100 people attended the game against Dover Athletic in the last round, how much of a difference does it make to you and the lads to have that sort of support?”

Jonny: "The support has been amazing throughout. We hope that we can continue to inspire younger generations of Rustics for years to come."

Q: “Jack, we’ve talked a bit about your goal against Chatham Town, but let’s talk about the equaliser and then your winner against Dover Athletic in the last round - at one-nil down what was you thinking or feeling?”

Jack: "It was the shear determination of the team that pulled us through. I might have scored the goals but we all worked so hard to get the result."

Q: “We said to Jonny how much you and the lads appear to be enjoying your football at the moment, in the cup and the league, is there a good buzz amongst the group in the dressing room?”

Jack: "The team is buzzing in the changing room especially after a win, the music we play helps to get us in the zone."

Q: “You’ve made a few appearances for the First Team this season, along with Jack Glassborow, we know our supporters are delighted to see some of our youth players coming though and getting an opportunity, how has that been for yourself personally?”

Jack: "I love playing for the First Team, they’ve made me feel so at ease and have really boosted my confidence. I love the chants from our supporters when I come on, it gives me a real buzz!"

Q: “How do you view Cray Wanderers as a team, are they a team that you’ve come across before and what sort of threat do they pose?”

Jack: "Cray Wanderers are a very strong team and it will be a tight game, but I’m confident with the level of football that we play at, we can secure the win."

Q: “You know how loud our supporters can be, especially on a night under the lights. What would be your message to our supporters ahead of Thursday evening?”

Jack: "The supporters mean everything to us, it’s their constant cheering and singing that helps to pull us through."

Thank you for taking the time to speak to us and of course, it goes without saying, everyone is behind you both and the rest of the lads on Thursday night!

The FA Youth Cup action begins at 7.30pm, The Jockey Farm Stadium.

Entry for the game is £5 for Adults, £3 for Concessions and £1 for all under 16s (must be accompanied by a responsible adult)

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