Forest School's Under-16 first XI were handed the chance to test their skills against League One academy outfit MK Dons and lost by a single goal, 4-3.

Forest’s players gave a strong account of themselves against an established Football League academy that has resulted in eight Dons youth products receiving call-ups to their respective national teams in the last two years.

MK Dons academy’s head of coaching, Dan Micciche, invited the school to play on a reduced 60x40 yard-perimeter surface.

The club believes the smaller pitches improve ball control by limiting time and space.

Forest adapted excellently to the unconvential pitch, going 3-1 up through a brace of goals from Luke Holland and Daniel Adasonla’s strike.

The Dons’ greater experience told in the end though, as they came back, scoring three more goals to take victory.

Forest School are unearthing footballing talent themselves, with Year 9 trio Sam Telling, George Bartland (both Leyton Orient) and Henry Ochieng (West Ham United) the most recent pupils to earn places at a professional club’s academy.

The school’s Under-14 A team beat Brittons Academy 3-2 in the Essex Cup quarter-finals of the county’s premier school football competition.

The first half went perfectly for Forest as Amar Takhar profited from Chris Coveney’s good work on the left wing to open the scoring before George Bartlam dusted himself down after being fouled in the box to give the home team a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Bartlam was lively again in the second period and his effort was parried by the Brittons goalkeeper into Takhar’s path and he made no mistake to double his tally and put Forest in control at 3-0.

Brittons rallied and set up a nervy finish, scoring twice with just minutes to spare.

But Telling, Ochieng and Ed Zurawski held strong at the back for Forest.

The semi-final will be played on March 2.