More big cup opportunities await New Zealand U-17 hat-trick hero Adam Watson

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New Zealand’s Adam Watson will feature in two top English youth cups when he returns to his Stoke City club after the OFC U-17 Championship.

Watson (16) scored a hat-trick to help New Zealand reach the final of the tournament in Fiji with a 4-1 semi-final win against the host nation on Wednesday.

The win also gains New Zealand automatic qualification to November’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru.

After Saturday’s tournament final, Watson will rejoin Stoke City, where his father, Dave Watson, was the long-serving club physio.

Watson’s hat-trick against Fiji prompted media coverage in England with the Stoke Sentinel hailing his goalscoring efforts.

How the Stoke Sentinel reported Watson’s match-winning hat-trick.

He’ll be back in time to play for Stoke in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup against West Ham United in February.

Stoke beat Manchester United U-18s in the fourth round while Watson was in Fiji.

The youngster is also in the Stoke U-17 team that has reached the quarter-finals of the U-17 Premier League Cup, and will meet Nottingham Forest on February 21.

After being awarded the Player of the Match for his hat-trick performance, New Zealand’s Adam Watson said he thought the tournament had been a “great experience”.

The Stoke City youth player said: “I just gave my all, tried my best.”

He acknowledged the vocal New Zealand supporters in the crowd, saying they had been the team’s “12th man”.

READ MORE: Adam Watson hat-trick fires New Zealand into FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru >>>>

READ MORE: Coach Martin Bullock: ‘We knew our subs would be the decisive factor’ >>>>

READ MORE: Here’s all our coverage of the OFC U-17 Championship >>>>

Watch Watson’s goals

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