Injury time goal forces draw
Barclays Under 18 Academy League
Saturday 29th March 2014
City: O'Brien (Albinson), Oseni, Bossaerts, Adarabioyo, Smith-Brown, Byrne(Garcia), Intima (Bryan), Celina, Ambrose, Boadu, Barker
Goals: Barker(2), Ambrose
Unused: Humphreys, Nemane
With the Southern Academy U18s division probably being slightly stronger than the north as it stands in this season the prospect of playing Aston Villa was never going to be an easy game despite their lower half league position might suggest. Goals from Thierry Ambrose and Brandon Barker had twice given City the lead but found themselves three two down at half time. However a late Barker strike that just crept over the line to salvage a point for the young blues.
City started the game really well when they broke immediately after Billy O’Brien makes a save to deny Villa an early goal but a crossfield pass to Ambrose just over the half way line allowed the young Frenchman to hold off a couple of defenders and bear down on goal and coolly finish past Craig Hill in the Villa goal.
City’s lead however only lasted just over five minutes when Villa moved the ball forward on the left and the ball came in to their left winger Jerell Sellars who pushed into the area and beat O’Brien at the near post.
That position was back in City’s favour just four minutes later when some good quick passing led to the ball working it’s way from right to left where Barker cut inside and drove a hard low shot past hill to make the score two one to City.
But again the score line did not remain like that for long as a looping cross from the right is headed back by Tom Strain and there was Harry McKirdy who’s quick reactions and athletic overhead kick looped over the despairing dive of O’Brien.
The game ebbed and flowed for most of the remaining half but it was the Midland’s side that took the lead for the first time in the match in the fortieth minute when Sellars was sent clear on the left hand side and he ran at goal and fired a strike of the underside of the crossbar.
The second half was certainly not as intense as the first half but City were much better at controlling the possession by not quite as cheaply giving the ball away.
City had made an early second half goalkeeping change although it was unclear why because O’Brien did not seem to indicate any real injury but it might have been a first half knock that he was still uncomfortable with. However his replacement Charlie Albinson was called into action a similar amount that Hill in the Villa goal was during the second period but none of the efforts were of a decent calibre to really threaten another goal.
That was until stoppage time when City were pressing up the field and lost possession and it looked as though Villa might make a quick break but City regained possession and were patient in the way they moved the ball back forward again despite running out of time but that composure paid off when the ball came to Ambrose and he had enough space to play a pass over the Villa defence for Barker to move off and shape himself to volley on goal. Hill had rushed off his line and managed to get a hand to the shot but that only deflected the flight and somehow the ball still trickled over the line in the far corner of the goal.
That result kept City at the top of the table and only need one more point to guarantee a play-off place but finishing top will give home advantage so a few more wins are needed. So next up an away trip Wolves this Wednesday could mean moving 3 points clear of Everton.
The under 16s came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2, with goals from Issac Buckley Ricketts, Callum Bullock and Ed Francis.
Posted in Academy Match Reports by Gavin Cooper/Andrew Waldon.