EFL Trophy
Wednesday 4th December 2019
Well, that's the dream of a trip to Wembley Stadium over for another season!
Leicester's Under 21s, managed by ex-Donny boss Steve Beaglehole, were slick, impressive, under-estimated by too many in attendance, and emerged as worthy winners on this bitterly cold night in South Yorkshire.
The Foxes took the lead through Admiral Muskwe's early strike before he struck again not long after the hour mark. George Hirst (son of David Hirst, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday striker) then bagged a third goal in the dying stages.
Positives were hard to find and a miserable night was compounded when Danny Amos was on the receiving end of a tough tackle right on the final whistle, which left him requiring treatment as the teams left the pitch.
On the flip side to the negatives, Rovers did create some openings - none more so than prior to half-time when Kwame Thomas' header ricocheted off the post and sparked a goalmouth scramble which saw Tom Anderson have a shot blocked.
Had that opportunity gone into the net for an equaliser then it could well have been a game-changing moment. Who knows?
It didn't though and despite some pressure in and around the Foxes' area for a spell after the interval and what looked a stonewall spot-kick being turned down by the officials, Leicester's second goal effectively killed the game and they weren't troubled too much thereafter.
The result no doubt disappointed most in attendance but to keep things in context, although Leicester had an 'U21s' tag attached to them, they're a good side - proven by the football they played, proven by their position in their Premier League division table and also proven by the fact several of those who featured already have experience from loan spells at a decent senior level.
Of the youngsters who were included in Rovers' starting line-up; AJ Greaves, Danny Amos and Shane Blaney, none of them disgraced themselves and it's a shame there aren't further games left in this, or any of the other cup competitions, where they can get frequent game-time against challenging opponents who'll stretch their capabilities to the maximum in a stadium-environment with an expectant crowd.
Blaney slowly improved after a dodgy start where it seemed the quick movement of Leicester's frontmen caused him some problems. In one passage of play, he made a good interception in a dangerous area, at the expense of a corner. Also, in another move where he conceded possession after an attempted pass down the inside-left, he was straight back into position to plug the hole which the opposition would have looked to exploit - thus proving his awareness and intelligence in a footballing sense. It was a shame the scoreline was a negative one at half-time and Darren Moore opted to change shape, make substitutions and put more experience on the pitch in order to try and get back into the game.
Greaves, in my opinion, got noticed by those in attendance. He was combative, not overawed by being up against 'better' players (in terms of academy upbringing), got stuck in and no doubt those in attendance appreciated his efforts. Like Blaney, this experience will only serve his development well and if he keeps performing in a similar fashion, then he'll earn more opportunities.
Amos was a threat on the left channel and supplemented attacks well by getting forward and offering an option. His balls into danger areas weren't bad and, overall, he was steady enough. It's a shame that he got clattered with a tackle at the finale and was in evident pain afterwards - hopefully it'll just be a knock and not something which keeps him out of action.
On the whole, after successive poor performances and 3-0 losses, the team, collectively, need to deliver a notable response and put in a much-improved display in the next game which is against MK Dons at the weekend.
It could be an indicator as to how the rest of the season is going to pan out...
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