Baylee Dipepa: “It's an unforgettable night."
Southampton Under-18s striker Baylee Dipepa stated his belief that the club can go on to win the FA Youth Cup for the first time after a 4-1 triumph over Derby County on Tuesday night.
Dipepa scored a brace at St Mary's Stadium and, along with strikes from Sufianu Sillah Dibaga and Harry Gathercole, Saints moved through to the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Saints remained calm after going behind inside the first minute of the game though, and Dipepa described how his side responded well to the early setback.
"I think the start was a bit of a shock." he admitted. "They came very fast out of the blocks, we knew they were going to do that, so we kind of put ourselves in a bad situation but we just thought everyone had to stay calm.
“I'd say after about 10-15 minutes, we realised that we were the better side and a lot more confident than them so, from there on, we just made the game ours.”
Having progressed to the last eight of the FA Youth Cup, Saints will travel to face either Watford or Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
Looking at the crop of academy players that he is amongst, Dipepa noted how success could be within reach if the Under-18s keep producing strong performances.
He said: “I think we've got a great group, very exciting players, very promising team. I think we can go all the way as long as we put in performances like we did today.
“I think we can definitely win the competition, a lot of teams have struggled against us. You've got a lot of bigger sides that obviously are front-runners for the tournament but I think being looked at as underdogs, you could say, it takes the pressure off us and if we just play our football, hopefully we can go far.”
Tuesday’s tie also gave the Saints youngsters an opportunity to play on the St Mary’s turf for the first time - an opportunity that they will hope to grace more in the future.
Assessing the experience of playing an FA Youth Cup tie at the club’s main ground, Dipepa explained the importance of the occasion for him and his teammates.
“It’s the first time that I've played at St Mary's, so obviously it's a great stadium. I think it's an unforgettable night playing here. The Youth Cup is a great competition that everybody wants to play in and everyone wants to succeed.
“I've spoken to players who have had great, long careers and they always remember their Youth Cup experiences, so I think it's a good tournament and obviously a great opportunity to play at such a nice stadium.”
