Hartpury University is celebrating football success, as its Men’s 1st Team were crowned BUCS Premier South League champions on Wednesday 28 January following a commanding 2-0 victory.
The decisive win secured the league title, with goals from Tomos Shyamapant (Third Year BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching) and Luke Salter (Third Year BA (Hons) Sports Business Management), both of whom have progressed through Hartpury’s college programme into the university set-up.
In a controlled and professional performance, Hartpury limited the opposition to very few chances while scoring two high-quality goals. Tomos Shyamapant opened the scoring after Luke Salter delivered a cross from a ball played down the side of the back four, allowing Shyamapant to tap home. The second goal came from a ball behind from Sam Kelly to Vanylson Silva, who cut the ball back for Salter to finish confidently into the bottom corner.
Shyamapant delivered a standout performance and continues to lead the line in excellent form, currently sitting as the team’s top scorer for the season with seven goals in ten games. Hadyn Evans also impressed with a strong performance in central midfield.
The squad this season has featured seven first-year students: Connor Callow, Ryan Smallwood, Jesse Aldridge, Charlie Mathews, Sam Kelly, Hadyn Evans and Vanylson Silva. Sam Kelly, Ryan Smallwood, Charlie Mathews, Hadyn Evans and Vanylson Silva have all progressed through Hartpury’s college programme, further highlighting the strength of the football pathway.
Speaking after the title win, Philip Clarke Head Coach of the Hartpury Men’s 1st Team, said: “I am absolutely delighted for the group that we have managed to win the BUCS Premier South this season. It is testament to all the hard work the players and staff have put in individually and collectively to enable us to be successful, in what is a very challenging league against some very good teams.
“I think this achievement further highlights the quality of the football pathway we have here at Hartpury with 11 of the 1st team group this year having progressed through our college programme into the university programme. These achievements, alongside the continued development of Hartpury Football Club both on and off the pitch, further illustrates what an exciting time it is to be part of the football programme at Hartpury.
“We now head into the national championship full of confidence, believing that with the quality we have within our group that we can go on and be successful and compete for the national championship.”
The league title marks another major milestone for Hartpury Football and underlines the strength of its player development pathway as the team now turns its focus to the BUCS National Championship.
Learn more about the Hartpury University Football Academy here.
