On this day 26 years ago, West Ham United were crowned FA Youth Cup champions for only the third time in their history.
A quarter of a century on from that 6-0 demolition of Coventry City, while the post-West Ham United successes of Michael Carrick and Joe Cole are very well documented, what happened to the remainder of that fresh-faced side who entered the 21st Century as officially the finest group of teenage talents in the country?
And as the likes of George Earthy and Oliver Scarles look to build on The Hammers’ 2023 success – Mark Robson’s team beat Arsenal two years ago – which path will the current generation end up taking?
Will they follow in Carrick and Cole’s footsteps? Or end up leaving football altogether, promise unfulfilled but a new career carved out?
Where are they now? West Ham United’s 1999 FA Youth Cup winning team
Stephen Bywater
After initially acting as back-up behind Les Sealy, Shaka Hislop and David James, Bywater finally got his chance following West Ham’s relegation in 2003.
And after fumbling Andy Johnson’s shot in the play-off final defeat to Crystal Palace that following year, Bywater would cement his redemption as The Hammers saw off Preston North End to eventually secure their Premier League return in 2005.
Bywater would then go on to represent Derby County, Ipswich Town, Burton Albion and even Indian outfit Kerala Blasters before hanging up his gloves nearly a decade ago.
Izzy Iriekpen
Former England U19 right-back Iriekpen was denied the chance to become West Ham’s youngest ever player at the age of just 16. The referee blew for the full-time whistle just moments before what would have been a historic debut against Manchester United in 1999.
That, cruelly, was the closest he ever came to appearing on the Premier League stage. Though Iriekpen, who briefly captained Scunthorpe, would form part of the Swansea City side who climbed out of League Two in 2005 alongside Lee Trundle, Garry Monk and a fresh-faced Roberto Martinez.
Thus, beginning The Swans’ remarkable ascent to Premier League stalwarts and EFL Cup winners.
Sam Taylor
Leaving West Ham one year after their FA Youth Cup triumph, Taylor would embark upon a career zipping around non-league.
Working behind the scenes as the club’s Integration Development Manager a quarter-of-a-century later, Taylor is now playing a key role in securing a bright future for the next generation of claret-and-blue kids.
“Predominantly, I manage the post-16s education football programme,” Taylor told the club’s official website in 2022.
“The first three or four years are ‘football for all’, giving boys an opportunity who might not have played structured eleven-a-side football. We develop them as characters and give them some form of education.
“I love doing everything in my role, but seeing lads excel on the pitch as well is really rewarding.”
Stevland Angus
While Iriekpen represented Swansea all the way down in the fourth-tier, Angus would don the red-and-black stripes of AFC Bournemouth long before Eddie Howe transformed The Cherries into one of the best-run clubs in the game.
Angus celebrated promotion during a spell at Scunthorpe in the mid-2000s – two years before Iriekpen arrived – and also played briefly under the now-Saudi Arabia boss Herve Renard at Cambridge.
Terrell Forbes
Forbes also spent time on loan at Bournemouth before leaving West Ham on a permanent basis around the turn of the Century. Going on to represent thirteen clubs in a fifteen year spell, Forbes turned out most regularly for Yeovil Town and Queens Park Rangers.
He now works as a coach for Pro Sports Cybernetics, a ‘sports development training and programme provider’ who specialise in helping young players reach peak performance.
Michael Carrick
The man who needs no introduction. The most successful of West Ham’s 1999 Youth Cup heroes, if there was a trophy Michael Carrick did not win during a glorious spell at Manchester United, it probably wasn’t worth winning.
Five Premier League titles and a Champions League winners’ medal headline an enviable 18-strong trophy haul.
Now putting his excellent reading of the game to good use in the dugout at Middlesbrough, Carrick has been linked with a return to West Ham to become the club’s head coach on a number of occasions.
Louis Riddle
After a broken leg put the brakes on his progress, striker-turned-left-back Riddle shifted his focus to studying. A golf and boxing fanatic, he is now the director and co-founder of Nuco Solutions, a recruitment firm working in the property sector
“That [broken leg] stuffed me, really,” the glass-half-full Riddle told the West Ham website. “Getting released was a hammer blow, but I’m a big believer in fate and that everything happens for a reason.
“In 2004/05, I decided not to play anymore. I did a degree at the University of Hertfordshire for two years
“I applied to a couple of places, finally got my first proper job in recruitment as a trainee in 2006, and never looked back really! I progressed from there to start my own business in 2013.”
Adam Newton
The Grays-born Newton is one of only four players from that 1999 line-up to represent his country at international level. He earned seven caps for the Caribbean-based St Kitts and Nevis while turning out for future Premier League outfits Brentford and Luton Town in the club game.
“These days, I’m a London Taxi driver,” Newton said in February last year. “My black cab gives me the freedom to be my own boss, while dipping into a bit of coaching here and there.
“Living in Essex, I still go to London Stadium and Rush Green to keep an eye on both the first team and U21s, whenever I can.”
Richard Garcia
Scorer of two goals in that 6-0 drubbing of Coventry, former Australia winger Garcia would go on to become something of a cult hero in the Football League.
He forced an own goal from Ricardo Carvalho to leave the Colchester fans dreaming briefly of a stunning cup victory over Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. Garcia’s 35-yard stunner against Burnley would later earn him Hull City’s Goal of the Season award.
An usher at Carrick’s wedding, Garcia has tried his hand in coaching like his old friend. He spent two years in charge of Aussie outfit Perth Glory until 2022.
Joe Cole
The other member of this West Ham side who would become an England regular later down the line. It is easy to forget just how highly Joe Cole was regarded at the time. With his dyed red mohawk and his Soccer AM-worthy flicks, many felt this would be the second coming of the great Paul Gascoigne.
Cole would never quite reach those iconic heights, however, though 56 England appearances and three Premier League titles with Chelsea is not to be sniffed at. A Ballon D’Or nominee in 2006, Cole would make an emotional return to West Ham just over a decade ago, shortly before crossing the Atlantic and soaking up the sun in Tampa.
He now works as a pundit, featuring regularly on TNT Sports. Speaking only a few months ago, Cole urged West Ham to accumulate some much-needed quality to support talisman Jarrod Bowen in the final third.
Bertie Brayley
Like Garcia, Brayley would hit the net twice in that Coventry obliteration. That, however, was as close as he would come to reaching the promised land. Brayley’s CV reads like a who’s who of non-league institutions, from Billericay and Braintree to Margate, Bishop’s Stortford and Burnham Ramblers.
Brayley now works for Tek Lab 123 coaching, specialising in creating personal training programmes. Much to his delight, West Ham have taken some of his ideas on board, incorporating his TekBounder board into their training facilities in order to help improve ball control.
“I take little drills that I used to do at West Ham and try to implement them into my business,” Brayley explains. “It was really good to see West Ham using my TekBounder board during training. My Club are in Europe, and they are using my board in training which is great!
“I’ve got a wife, Paige, and three kids – Bobby, Frankie and Alba – as well as my own one-to-one business so things are looking bright.
“I grew up in quite a tough area and football was my escape, but one thing that West Ham taught me was to be a good person. That goes a long way and helps you to get somewhere in life.”
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