Scunthorpe United (U18s) 1-2 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Scunthorpe United (U18s) 1-2 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)
Football League Youth Alliance
Friday 27th September 2019

Junior Smith and Jack Watson grabbed the goals as Doncaster Rovers' youngsters came from behind to beat Scunthorpe United and get their season back on track.

The Iron led thanks to a brilliant free-kick on the half-hour mark but the Rovers responded immediately as Smith showed great composure to slot home following Watson's clever through ball. Watson then continued his eye-catching goal scoring exploits so far this term as he converted a second half spot-kick after Smith was hacked down inside the box.

The lads then collectively showed courage, bravery, dedication and leadership in abundance to defend things out on a tough cross-field sloping pitch, which was made worse by a torrential downpour in the final quarter-hour of the game.

The result was somewhat overshadowed by an injury to Will McGowan, who left the pitch on a stretcher and was later taken to hospital following a totally innocuous collision with an opponent not long after the half-time interval.

On reflection, the two halves were contrasting; Scunny dictating things for the lions share of the opening 45 minutes before Rovers responded with an excellent second half showing which had all the characteristics that have been missing in recent weeks.

Despite a torrential downpour pretty much throughout the pre-match warm-up, sunshine was beginning to break through the grey clouds and it was quite pleasant weather as things got underway at Winterton Rangers' West Street Ground.

Things were quite tight and tentative in the very early stages and it was apparent to see the boys were talking to each other and trying to take ownership much more than in last week's defeat to Mansfield Town.

Midfielder Charlie Bell, sitting just infront of the back four, had a couple of good early touches and was penalised for a foul on one occasion, whilst Josh Clemitson, operating at left-back, showed some promising early signs as well.

However, as things neared the quarter-hour mark, the reality was Scunthorpe had begun to dictate the midfield battle and were having more of the ball - thus pushing Donny back.

The Iron didn't quite possess enough creativity to make a 'killer' pass in the final third and cause serious danger, though because the Rovers frontline were sometimes dropping too deep to offer any sort of an effective outlet when under pressure, it meant Scunny were quickly regaining possession whenever they gave it away.

Despite 'bits and pieces' of routine work, Kian Johnson wasn't properly tested until he held a powerful (and slightly deflected) strike from the edge of the area following some good work by Scunthorpe's tricky right-winger in the 28th minute.

A few moments later, the Rovers 'keeper made another good save -  this time using his feet to block a shot before the defence cleared, with Elliott Walker having been out-muscled by his opponent inside the penalty area.

The only attempt which the lads were able to muster up in what had become a disappointing opening half-hour was when Smith stretched his legs and let fly with an ambitious 20-yard attempt which flew over the woodwork.

Scunthorpe were growing in confidence with each passing minute and their dominance eventually showed when they took the lead with a powerful free-kick. The Iron's Raynner Silva laid the ball off to Cameron Wilson who smashed a thunderous effort into the top corner - giving Johnson no chance!

It was a deserved lead at this point, but one which the hosts couldn't hold onto.

Pretty much immediately, Watson showed strength in the middle of the park and capitalised on Scunthorpe's defence being quite high by threading a clever ball through for Smith to run onto. The second-year scholar then showed good pace and technique as he accelerated away and finished to put Rovers back on level terms.

The goal seemed to give the lads confidence though they would have gone instantly behind again had it not been for a brave and fantastic last-ditch challenge by Nathan Dimou who stopped a Scunny player from tapping home a rebound from about eight yards out, after Johnson had parried a low drive from 20-yards.

Rovers survived until the break and although there had been flashes and glimpses of promise in very small doses - and also the fact the lads were being more vocal on the pitch, a big 'kick up the backside' was still very much needed.

Paul Stancliffe made two changes at the break with Lewis Cunningham replacing Clemitson at left-back, whilst Luca Nelson was withdrawn in favour of Marius Conradi up front.

Whatever was said in the dressing room at half-time clearly worked as immediately; literally within seconds of the re-start, the boys got the ball down, strung some passes together and looked a whole lot more composed.

The second half, which consisted of 61 minutes in total, proved to be very 'stop-start' as Watson received treatment for a few minutes after a collision with Scunthorpe's Charlie Barks and then, when play re-started, McGowan and an opponent accidentally collided which meant another lengthy stoppage. Both players needed treatment and the seriousness of McGowan's injury soon became obvious. He was eventually stretchered off and later taken to hospital, presumably as a precautionary measure and one can only wish him a speedy recovery!

The delays lasted around 10 minutes in total and when things resumed again, Rovers continued to look brighter, sharper and more dominant than they had done previously.

Max Jemson came on in place of McGowan as the lads switched to a 3-4-3 formation, using wing-backs.

The lads soon reaped the rewards as Smith broke down the inside-right and into the area before he was stupidly brought down by a defender - leaving the referee with no option but to award a spot-kick. After a delay, as Smith needed treatment too, Watson stepped up and though the 'keeper got a good hand to his effort, there was just too much power on his strike and the ball eventually spun into the net.

Now ahead, the boys just got better and better and began to demonstrate all the characteristics that made this a very enriching victory.

Their work-ethic was brilliant from this point onwards. The responsibility they took, the communication between players, the desire and the willingness to be brave and stifle things when they needed to (tactics obviously learned in last week's defeat) was great to see.

With Scunthorpe reeling, Smith had two quickfire attempts to put Rovers further ahead; cutting inside and having a low drive saved before he rattled the upright with another shot.

By this point there were a few feisty challenges being put in and things were threatening to boil over and Liam Ravenhill, who was beginning to seriously influence things in the middle, showed superb discipline not to absolutely let rip at an opponent when he was the victim of a reckless challenge.

Another stoppage then occurred as Barks got treatment off Scunthorpe's physio for a head injury, whilst inbetween all the shenanigans in the middle of the park, there was a 'heart in mouth' moment as Walker's harmless back-pass was mis-controlled by Johnson and went dangerously close to the goal before he passed it out wide to a team-mate.

In the final 20 minutes, the sunshine disappeared and the heavens opened again.

Desperately seeking an equaliser, Scunthorpe began to apply more and more pressure but everything they threw at Rovers was met with firm resilience. Marshalled by Ben Blythe, who was absolutely excellent, the boys defended when they needed to, stifled play and put in a great shift in horrible weather.

The determination and dedication was epitomised when Dimou took a powerful shot to the face in the final few minutes; something which would have hurt anyway, but even more so considering he was the victim of an elbow to the nose only six days ago.

It was literally 'blood, sweat and tears' by now - and in keeping with this game, Dimou's injury required another genuine stoppage in play, but the lads ultimately did enough to see out the last couple of minutes and get such an important win.

It's clear the lads have taken on board things which have been said in recent weeks and, though the first half performance was disappointing (and had more than a few frustrating elements), they've responded emphatically with a gutsy second half showing.

Individually, Kian Johnson may have 'got away with one' when he nearly made the sort of mistake which would feature on a Goalkeeping Bloopers DVD. Whether it was lapse in concentration or, as I suspect, a dodgy bounce on a very dodgy/uneven pitch, only he will know, but two minutes later he came off his line and bravely claimed a set-piece cross - demonstrating confidence and showing that he isn't the type of character to dwell on what could have been a cock up!

Defensively, Josh Clemitson began okay at left-back but faded as the first half progressed and got caught out 'positionally' a few times. On paper it might not appear great that he was substituted at half-time, but it's worth remembering that he was playing out of position and was up against a tricky winger. Therefore, it would be unfair to be overly critical.

Lewis Cunningham, naturally left-footed, offered more balance on that side in the second half and delivered a consistent enough display - even trying his luck with what can only be described as a long-range 'half-shank' on goal in one attack, as well.

At centre-back, again, Ben Blythe was absolutely outstanding; talking, demonstrating his leadership really well on two or three occasions what I can remember and he deserves a '10/10' mark. The skipper works well alongside Nathan Dimou, who showed brilliant bravery, and his best mark on this game was the critical last-ditch challenge to prevent a certain goal just before half-time. Had that shot gone in, it may well have shifted the whole momentum of the game.

Having had a few 'nervy' moments in recent games, Max Jemson's confidence will have improved no end today. He won quite a few aerial duels, looked solid in a back three and hopefully now he can use this as a springboard to deliver some more good displays. Excellent, again!

At right-back, Elliott Walker was consistent enough and got what is seemingly his weekly yellow card as well. He was unlucky not to find the target with three of four set-pieces from dangerous positions and though he didn't overlap as much as in previous games, he's a very useful and positive asset to this team.

In midfield, Charlie Bell 'ratted about' quite a bit and got clonked and clattered, whilst also dishing out a few competitive challenges as well. He impacted things much more in the second half; the same as Liam Ravenhill who again 'stepped up' in various snippets. Will McGowan was unfortunate with his injury and possibly would have been able to wreak havoc; given what he's capable of in terms of one-two passing and movement.

Up top, Junior Smith had an 'A* performance' where he was lively, dangerous, problematic for the opposition and it was one of his best displays of the season - if he can produce this again on a consistent basis then he's got enormous potential. Jack Watson grew into things after a quiet half-hour; his assist was top quality, his penalty somewhat fortuitous, but on the whole he worked very hard for the team.

Both Luca Nelson and Marius Conradi, who replaced him, pressed well (at times) by closing the 'keeper down, etc, though dropping back 'too deep' is probably what led to Nelson being brought off at half-time. However, he'll only get better with more games and experience. Conradi was impressive enough in his first appearance of the season and demonstrated positive work-ethic.

Owan Derrett was the last player brought on; introduced for Smith in the closing stages and he had 'bits and pieces' but probably needs a good stretch of minutes in a game to demonstrate what he's capable of.

On the whole, the joyous, jubilant feeling at the final whistle; that sense of reward and victory will have been the best feeling in the world for the lads. After their turbulent recent results, it's impressive to see they've learned, grown and even adopted characteristics from other sides who've beaten them - and the second half performance was spot on.

The task now, in my opinion, is to repeat that character, heart, desire, commitment and burning ambition to succeed over the course a full game. If they can combine the different qualities showed in the second half together with their natural footballing talent (best demonstrated in demolishing Grimsby Town on the opening day), they're capable of being one heck of a side.

Consistency, however, will be absolutely crucial!

A big mention as well for Lirak Hasani and Ethan Bojang, both out injured at the moment, yet both of them were present at today's game and absolutely buzzing with the end result.

Team: Kian Johnson, Josh Clemitson (Lewis Cunningham), Ben Blythe, Nathan Dimou, Elliott Walker, Charlie Bell, Liam Ravenhill, Will McGowan (Max Jemson), Junior Smith (Owan Derrett), Jack Watson, Luca Nelson (Marius Conradi). Unused Subs: Ben Bottomley.