Huddersfield Town (U17s) 1-2 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Huddersfield Town (U17s) 1-2 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Football League Youth Alliance

Saturday 3rd October 2020

Doncaster Rovers' youth team earned their first three points of the season after a resilient and hard-working team performance against Huddersfield Town at PPG Canalside.

In wet weather and relentless rain for much of the game, this was an occasion when desire, character and commitment was needed in order to be successful.

The lads passed the test of what was required against a decent technical outfit with goals coming courtesy of Owan Derrett's composed breakaway finish in a one-on-one on the half-hour mark and a low strike by Josh Clemitson shortly after half-time.

Huddersfield, stronger than they were last term, then applied plenty of pressure in search of a way back into proceedings but they were thwarted time and again by the excellent Ben Bottomley, who had a fine game, whilst both Derrett and substitute Alex Wolny were unable to take chances at the opposite end which would have put the result beyond doubt.

The Terriers were rewarded for their efforts with a goal in injury-time; coming from a corner, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation as Rovers held on for a much-needed three points.

The only downsides to an otherwise positive day in West Yorkshire was an early injury to Charlie Bell and the hosts' late goal which spoiled what would have been a well-earned clean-sheet.

Having lost to both Scunthorpe United and Lincoln City in their opening two league games, Rovers were very much looking to get off the mark against opponents who, themselves, were still searching for their first points of the new season.

With the exemption of Liam Ravenhill, who is currently training with the first team squad, manager Paul Stancliffe opted to field all of the other second-year scholars whilst Tom Henson, Will Hollings and Tavonga Kuleya completed the starting line-up.

It was Rovers who created the enjoyed the game's first significant chance after eight minutes when some good work by Owan Derrett led to a corner. Charlie Bell's delivery was inch-perfect for Max Jemson, up from the back, but despite being left unmarked the towering centre-back couldn't quite direct his header goalwards - much to his own frustration!

Nevertheless, the hosts enjoyed plenty of early possession and knocked the ball around neatly at times, pressed well and had the territorial advantage for much of the first quarter-of-an-hour or so. 

They soon created some openings; firstly when a player let fly with a low 20-yard attempt which drifted wide but then secondly, and much more dangerously, when another of their players was allowed to venture forward and unleash a shot from a similar range which caught a deflection on its way wide.

The game was already open, albeit not at a frantic end-to-end pace, and both 'keepers were soon tested.

In Doncaster's move, Kuleya showed some neat footwork down the flank before Henson received the ball and tested the home 'keeper with a low 30-yard shot which was comfortably saved. Two minutes later, Rovers' defence had Bottomley to thank for keeping them on level terms as he superbly tip a shot over the woodwork from a teasing effort at full-stretch before (justifiably) screaming at his team-mates for allowing it to be 'too easy' for the hosts to get that particular shot away in the first place.

It was around this point that light drizzle turned into relentless heavy rain and it coincided with the first substitution of the match as Bell, who'd picked up what appeared to be a foot injury, had to be replaced by first-year midfielder Dan Wilds.

Whilst the Terriers were undoubtedly a side with good technical players, sometimes they were guilty of over-playing in the wrong areas - particularly at the back. It almost proved to be their undoing on 24 minutes when the home 'keeper dallied on the ball for too long and was closed down by Luca Nelson who managed to win a corner, though Wilds' delivery was cleared away to safety.

As the half-hour approached, Hollings made his first major contribution in an attacking-sense as his 'eye of a needle' pass fed Derrett but the second-year striker saw his attempt saved. Then, at the opposite end, Bottomley made yet another save - this time as he tipped a shot around the post after a player donning a blue and white shirt evaded Wilds' challenge and let fly with a goalbound attempt. 

Just a minute later, the breakthrough was finally made - by Doncaster!

With Huddersfield's defence playing such a high line when they had the ball, there was always a possibility that they'd get caught out and so it proved when Nelson intercepted an intended pass and immediately put Derrett, who was just inside the hosts' own half, clean through on goal. With plenty of work still to do, he ate up the many yards ahead of him, retained his composure and slotted the ball calmly past the advancing 'keeper in the one-on-one to make it 1-0. It was a very well-taken goal.

What Rovers did next was 'turn the screw' and enjoy a sustained spell of pressure as they searched for a second goal. 

Once more, Huddersfield lost the ball in a dangerous position - this time inside their own third, and only a good covering challenge denied Derrett from getting another shot away. Just over a minute later, Nelson, Derrett and Kuleya combined in another move which culminated in the first-year winger having an attempt tipped over the upright. 

Five minutes prior to the break, Kuleya fired over after another positive move which brought about more worrying moments for those of a blue and white persuasion.

Leading at half-time, Donny were well on course to register their first points of the campaign, though plenty of work was still required in order for the visit to West Yorkshire to be a success.

So optimism and confidence levels went up another notch on 52 minutes when the lads deservedly doubled their advantage thanks to a fine solo goal. The unlikely scorer was defender Josh Clemitson who picked up the ball inside his own half and went on a mazy run all the way into vacant space on the edge of the Terriers' penalty area before he hit a sublime, sweet, right-footed effort straight into the bottom corner and beyond the despairing dive of the Town 'keeper.

It was a fantastic goal following a decent move and the grip on the game was now solidified.

Nevertheless, there was still over 35 minutes left to play and Huddersfield weren't going to just take defeat without mustering up any kind of fightback, so focus levels needed to remain high, as did the desire and determination to get the points in the bag.

Bottomley again proved a formidable figure as he made important saves either side of the hour mark - being equal to a dangerous free-kick and then keeping out a speculative 25-yard attempt from open play which had the potential to cause problems.

Though the subsequent corner on the back of the latter chance was turned behind at the expense of another flag-kick, the next corner caused some anxiety inside Rovers' own area. The danger wasn't fully dealt with and the ball eventually dropped to a home player close to the penalty spot who scooped an effort high and wide when he, at least, should have hit the woodwork.

With Huddersfield searching hard for a route back into the game, they were almost caught on the counter-attack and, in fact, only the upright saved them when Henson's right-wing cross was flicked on by Nelson for Derrett whose close-range effort went over, via the woodwork.

Only a minute later, the Terriers were back on the attack once more with an attacker hurdling a challenge from Lewis Cunningham and advancing towards the edge of the 'D' from where he tried his luck with a curling shot which seemed goalbound until the last moment when it was tipped wide by Bottomley. Of the many saves he made, this was probably the best (and most important) as there was still a quarter of the match remaining at this point.

Rovers introduced some fresh legs ahead of the finale with Kuleya being replaced by Corie Cole and Derrett withdrawn for Alex Wolny.

The hosts, still trying to play neat, tidy football and doing their utmost to make inroads, continued to press and probe with intent and only a vital covering tackle by Henson, after a free-kick, denied them the chance to get into a dangerous position inside the area.

At the opposite end, the lads knew that if they made it 3-0 then it would almost certainly wrap things up and in counter-attack moves, Nelson twice attempted speculative shots across the area - both of which went wide of the opposite post, before Wolny enjoyed the best of all the openings. The frontman was put in the clear, only to be denied by a smart save, following Cunningham's initial ball out of defence under pressure and a clever, deft little touch by Cole during the build-up phase.

Just as it seemed that the points were in the bag for definite, Huddersfield pulled a goal back as the game entered injury-time; a corner from the right wasn't dealt with and after a flick on, it was eventually bundled into the net from a couple yards - thus spoiling what would have been an excellent clean-sheet.

However, there were to be just three minutes of injury-time and despite being forced to defend a free-kick from out wide during that spell, Rovers' rearguard remained resolute which meant the final whistle was meant with fist-pumps and shouts of 'Get In!' from the lads.

As an honest assessment, though the hosts were a very good technical team, it was their tendency to sometimes over-play and over-complicate things which meant they shot themselves in the foot. However, it was Rovers' character - the self-belief, the effort, the determination, the hunger and the desire in horrible pouring rain for three quarters of the game which, when combined, meant they were successful.

It was a good, positive overall team display and whilst other teams might provide tougher challenges, it's unlikely there'll be many games played in as difficult weather over the course of the season.

Going through each player individually, the undoubted 'Man of the Match' in my opinion was Ben Bottomley. It's a goalkeeper's job to make saves (well done on doing your job!) but he did that many times over in this game. Furthermore, he also provided a vocal presence at the back and certainly wasn't scared to let team-mates know if standards weren't good enough. He should definitely be happy with his showing.

Tom Henson, at right-back, seems to love a tackle and put in two or three important ones in the latter stages of the game. He linked up well with others and seems to be very much a 'square peg in a square hole' - a player who'll get the job done to a decent standard 99% of the time. It might not be spectacular, but it'll be solid enough - and I'd take that every week! 

At left-back, Lewis Cunningham did well, on the whole, when put under defensive pressure and with some good balls down the channels at the right times. Where he'll perhaps come into his own within this team is by being a vocal organiser/leader. It's a strength of his, it drives up standards and it's a good thing. His presence on the pitch rubs off on Josh Clemitson who operated at centre-back, was very vocal, and looks much more composed and settled in game situations this season which is noticeable. His goal - a good strike, is testament to his work and improvement. Lastly, Max Jemson who paired with Josh at centre-back, put in a good shift though, organised when he needed to, but did drift wide defensively on a couple of occasions. Again, compared to last season, the improvement is there to see - it's just a shame he couldn't get an early goal in this game when he had a good chance.

In midfield, it was unfortunate for Charlie Bell to be forced off through injury so early on, so I don't feel it's fair to comment on his performance. Amongst the others, Dan Wilds offered good balance when he came on and, although I've only seen him a couple of times previously, his talent is evident. It's really good to be seeing Ethan Bojang getting regular minutes again after a frustrating one last season and with the versatility, maturity on the ball and ability he has, it's not hard to understand why he's been selected as skipper. Will Hollings offered glimpses of what he's about (and I've heard good things) - certainly the vision to release some passes and I'm looking forward to the game at some point in the future when he delivers a 'stand out' performance because that means some team are going to be pulled apart.

Tavonga Kuleya offers pace and potential; he put in a decent performance and was unlucky not to get on the score-sheet in the first half. Owan Derrett took his goal well, was involved in other moves and he's using his attributes well now he's become one of the first names on the team-sheet. Luca Nelson, though he didn't score, had a good game, linked up play better than in some of his games last season and the improvement is evident - if he can maintain, continue to work hard and put himself in the right positions (which he did three or four times today) then the goals will inevitably come. 

Of the other two lads involved, Alex Wolny perhaps should have scored when he broke clean-through in the closing stages - but at least he got the shot on target and, besides, he illustrated perfectly what he's all about when he smashed in a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest the other week. Finally, Corie Cole, showed a couple of deft touches - namely the one where he helped get a move going and though he wasn't on the pitch for long, there's a 'bag of tricks' in his technical armoury which I'm looking forward to seeing at some point over the next year or two.

All in all, a good day and a good test and one from which the lads came out on top.

Team: Ben Bottomley, Lewis Cunningham, Josh Clemitson, Max Jemson, Tom Henson, Ethan Bojang (C), Will Hollings, Charlie Bell (Dan Wilds), Tavonga Kuleya (Corie Cole), Luca Nelson, Owan Derrett (Alex Wolny). Unused Sub: Luke Chadwick.