EFL Youth Alliance Cup
Saturday 9th October 2021
There were plenty of positives in this performance as Doncaster Rovers youngsters put their recent frustrations behind them by showing character to record a morale-boosting win over Oldham Athletic at Cantley Park.
Rovers’ display was bright, refreshing and much-improved in comparison to recent games. There was energy, desire and determination on show and clearly evident at different points and they reaped the rewards for seizing the initiative when Tavonga Kuleya smashed home an opener just before half-time.
The Latics levelled things up on a counter-attack midway through the second half, but two late goals by Jack Goodman ensured the lads achieved the win which their collective effort merited. Every player made a good contribution over the course of the 90 minutes.
Although it wasn’t enough to progress to the knockout stages of the EFL Youth Alliance Cup (the defeat at Mansfield Town a fortnight ago put paid to that), the result is a welcome boost for everyone because it puts an end to the wretched run of having conceded first in seven successive games and can be used as a springboard to build on in the coming weeks.
Match Report
With so many players currently out injured or just unavailable for different reasons, youth team manager Gary McSheffrey drafted in two players from further down the academy age groups to make their debuts in a very young starting xi.
Will Green (from the U16s) began at left-back whilst Sam Brown (part of the U15s) was handed a midfield role. Brown’s inclusion was significant as it meant he became the youngest player to feature for Rovers at U18s level since the 2018/19 season.
Now something of an elder statesman in the youth ranks, shot-stopper Luke Chadwick (who also made his first youth team appearance as an U15s player) was one of two second-year scholars to appear; the other being Tavonga Kuleya who has recently been sidelined due to a shoulder problem. The rest of the line-up consisted of first-year youth players, one of whom (Jak Whiting) was shuffled across to play at centre-back for the first time this season.
Oldham, meanwhile, named a similarly experienced team to Rovers with a couple of their own academy hopefuls featuring from the substitutes bench as the game progressed.
In unseasonably warm weather (and long may it continue that the sun is shining in October) the Latics got things underway and spent the first five minutes or so in the ascendency. They retained the ball well and switched it a few times to try and open up space but when a cross was put into the area, Whiting intercepted the danger with a firm headed clearance.
Once they got in possession, Rovers looked much calmer and more composed than in recent matches - playing some neat football with the returning Josh Lindley, Jack Raper and U15s prospect Sam Brown heavily involved. In one instance, Lindley unlocked a high Oldham backline when he found the overlapping Alex Fletcher with a through ball though the right-back was tackled under pressure at the expense of a corner, followed by two more in quick succession, which ultimately came to nothing.
Things then settled down as the work-rate of individuals began to become noticeable. Neither Green or Brown appeared phased by the step-up and they imposed themselves positively in winning the ball back and showing some tidy touches - including a long-range pass from Brown, in a deep position, out wide towards Kuleya which had quality about it.
On the quarter-hour mark, the first of about half a dozen yellow cards was given to Charlie Petch after the towering centre-back brought down an Oldham attacker who was otherwise about to break away and chase a through ball. It was a bookable offence although no damage whatsoever was done from the resulting 30-yard free-kick as the effort harmlessly cleared the upright.
Rovers soon responded with a chance of their own as Lindley got tight to the byline to receive a pass from Petch before again being the architect of a neat through ball - this time for Goodman whose shot, from a difficult forced angle due to some good covering defending, went over.
The ebb and flow then swung back and forth for a short spell. Chadwick endured a nervous moment of concern when a teasing right-foot corner landed on the roof of his goal, whilst inside the visitors penalty area both Goodman and Petch had attempts blocked either side of a corner-kick before Brown forced the Oldham ‘keeper into a comfortable enough save as he searched for a debut goal following a Kuleya lay-off on 33 minutes.
Having gone behind with such frequency in recent weeks, Rovers knew they needed to navigate things carefully as it approached half-time and a more cautious approach crept into some aspects of their play. The visitors tried to build up momentum and when one of their players hit a speculative long-range attempt from 30 yards, it required an alert Chadwick to keep it out.
Nevertheless, a breakthrough soon materialised, off a defensive mistake, but it was Rovers who were the beneficiaries. Faris Khan’s pressing saw Oldham awarded a throw-in midway inside their own half. It was subsequently taken and looped towards the halfway line where Whiting guided it onwards at the first time of asking; the ball then dropping at the feet of a visiting defender whose poor first touch allowed Kuleya to immediately nip in and share a one-two with Goodman, before demonstrating clinical composure with his finishing in a one-on-one situation to make it 1-0.
Buoyed by whatever was said at half-time, the visitors responded with a probing period of pressure after the re-start during which they saw a lot more of the ball, won a few corners and had much of the territorial play. However, they remained frustrated in trying to break down Rovers’ shape and resilience and carve out any sort of clear-cut opening.
Rovers rode out the rough patch and, around the hour mark, began to press forward more themselves. Lindley and Kuleya linked up well in one move where an eventual low ball towards the near-post, intended for Goodman, had to be cut-out by a Latics defender.
A series of changes then followed with Dan Wilds, Michael Nesbitt and Will Hollings introduced in a triple substitution for Brown, Fletcher and Lindley respectively, after Tom Parkinson replaced Khan and Corie Cole came on for Kuleya.
Oldham also altered their personnel around this period and, now slightly against the run of play, they equalised via a counter-attack on 67 minutes.
Hollings’ near-post corner was easily cleared which led to a throw-in close to Rovers’ own dugout. The ball was then lost in midfield and resulted in a swift and sweeping counter-attack where the visiting No.11 accelerated half the length of the pitch unmarked and was eventually played in for a shot which he smashed past Chadwick.
Although the equaliser was a blow for Rovers, they then demonstrated an excellent attitude to recover from the setback and win the game again.
Parkinson ought to have quickly restored the advantage when Wilds’ tackle in the centre circle followed by Green’s quick through ball put him in the clear but his shot narrowly cleared the upright. A few minutes later, Brown went closer to a dream debut strike with an effort which was parried by the visiting ‘keeper after Hollings won the ball back well.
Wilds was then yellow carded for a heavy tackle with about 10 minutes remaining yet it was Rovers who remained on the front foot - moving the ball around well, creating space and dictating the emphasis of the play. Nesbitt, at right-back, had already produced a clever low pass to Goodman (the attack ended due to offside) before he created another chance with a finely floated ball forwards which ended with Goodman this time heading wide after good work saw it quickly moved out wide.
The golden moment which the lads were craving then arrived on 84 minutes as they deservedly re-took the lead on the back of another positive move.
Having retained possession and been forced to go backwards from high up the pitch in an effort to try and make inroads, Petch threaded a sumptuous low pass through to an advancing Nesbitt on the overlap. He slid and won the ball right on the byline just inside the area and immediately squared it across goal to Cole who in turn knocked it across to where Goodman was waiting to emphatically convert from a couple of yards out.
The celebrations told a story and they hadn’t long finished when, just a minute or so later, Goodman received a pass, turned, held the ball up and unleashed a long-range shot which just had too much power for the ‘keeper who fumbled it into his own net. Whiting played an instrumental part in the goal; nonchalantly turning with the ball under pressure on the edge of his own box to leave a flat-footed Latics striker chasing shadows and looking rather stupid, though it was Green who claimed the assist.
The deserved win is a welcome boost for everyone and, on the balance of play, the scoreline was merited.
It was a collective performance with many positives. Rovers grabbed the initiative, competed, remained in the game during periods when they came under pressure and imposed their own game-plan when the scores were level. The pressing was good, the intensity was good and the movement of the ball forwards was also good. Then, in adversity after the equaliser, they dictated play and won the game again.
There are areas for improvement - the off-the-ball movement at throw-ins need work and the structure during turnovers could be better, whilst keeping a clean-sheet would have been a great positive, but being on a winning team breeds confidence and the performance produced was a winning one!
Individual Analysis
Probably the most important thing is that, individually, everyone contributed something towards the eventual outcome.
Starting at the back, Luke Chadwick has been a commanding figure between the posts this term and has grown in confidence compared to a year or two ago. There was nothing he could do about the finish itself because Oldham’s scorer executed his shot to perfection but he performed okay, his distribution got better as the game progressed and he played a small part in the second goal with his initial delivery out from the back.
Alex Fletcher showed plenty of energy and desire in the right-back slot, linked up well with others around the pitch, found space on the overlap which he did his best to exploit and showed a tenacious streak by standing his ground during a coming together with Oldham’s No.8 on the hour mark. That’s needed in football and he can take positives from his game.
Both Charlie Petch and Jak Whiting were outstanding at centre-back. They formed a good partnership with Petch, undoubtedly for me, having the best game of his scholarship to date. He was commanding, good in the air, good with his feet and it was an absolute pleasure to watch. It’s something he can definitely glean confidence from because he’s seized his opportunity in the starting line-up and performed admirably.
Whiting was just as impressive and solid - his positional play was excellent which meant he was able to make two or three really important interceptions with ease. If he’d not done that, it could have led to a different scoreline altogether. It’s the first time I’ve seen him play at centre-back (he’s usually at left-back - and quite consistent there too) but what he contributed was excellent. I don’t know quite what to really say about the silky maneuver to turn Oldham’s striker and play the ball which led to the third goal other than Paolo Maldini is probably searching for Jak Whiting videos on YouTube right now!
Will Green played the full game at left-back and, above everything else he didn’t look out of place. He showed calmness, listened and improved as things wore on, could have even grabbed a goal for himself, and officially (I think) claimed an assist for the third goal. You can’t really ask for much more and he’ll be hoping for more appearances as the season progresses.
In midfield, Jack Raper contributed a good amount and had his best individual display for a few weeks. His movement and reading of the game was good; he linked up well with others in the middle of the park, did well, and will be able to feed on the confidence of such a pleasing collective display and result.
He complimented Josh Lindley positively and he is another who has had sporadic appearances due to injuries up to now, yet grabbed his opportunity to start with both hands. His passing (and pass-completion rate) was largely decent - one or two did go astray and overall the things he did were intelligent and simplified when it needed to be simplified. He can certainly make the team tick and this was a positive return. My one hope now is that he can stay injury-free and earn a run of successive starts where I’ve every confidence his ability will shine through.
Sam Brown put in a good shift and offered a lot too - from closing things down to moving the ball and, just like Will Green, he wasn’t phased or over-awed by the step up to youth team football. It’s another promising benchmark and with a lot of development still to be done before he even reaches scholarship age, he can only get better and better.
In attack, Tavonga Kuleya took his goal really well, was involved in some good lay-offs and other bits of tidy play which created danger; Faris Khan grew into things after a slow initial start and showed a good hunger and attitude to probe, press and get the ball back - demonstrated quite a few times.
Jack Goodman sometimes cut an isolated figure in attack but he warrants a good mention because his work-rate was phenomenal - he chased everything, tried hard and ran and ran and ran. He’s drifted in and out of some games up to now; not been able to get into others simply because the service hasn’t been there from deeper positions, but this was a really good showing and the two goals is a deserved reward for the hard work, sometimes in isolation, that he contributed. Well done!
From the subs bench, Michael Nesbitt, who appeared at right-back for the last half-hour, produced quality with his passes and link-up play down the flank. He was a thorn in Oldham’s side and his assist was testament to an assured display. Apart from the throw-in fiasco (the referee by the way - what a top guy!), he was excellent and did more than enough to impress.
Dan Wilds also increased the tempo and energy in the game when he came on and set the ball rolling for a couple of chances, whilst Will Hollings (bar the delivery from the corner) added to the attacking threat. Corie Cole was involved in bits and pieces with others whilst Tom Parkinson, although he should have scored, had a few runs and showed energy which helped tire the visitors’ backline even more.
It must be remembered that this Oldham team didn’t include any U19s - something which can make a huge difference in these matches, and there will be tougher challenges ahead. Arguably the toughest will be against Rotherham United (who are, incidentally, the next opponents in a fortnight and will no doubt adopt their usual direct style - and might even use a couple of ‘over-age’ players) but if the lads can show the same desire, energy and that willingness to get on the ball and make things happen from an early point - just as they did in this game, then they’re certainly capable of expressing themselves positively.
Last week standards fell short in the defeat to Bradford City. This week, the attitude and desire was excellent so well done to everyone on ending the wretched recent frustrations, earning a win (and with it getting plenty of confidence) and producing a good display right across the pitch! The character spoke volumes and the win was deserved.
Team: Luke Chadwick, Alex Fletcher (Michael Nesbitt), Charlie Petch, Jak Whiting, Will Green, Sam Brown (Dan Wilds), Josh Lindley (Will Hollings), Jack Raper, Faris Khan (Tom Parkinson), Tavonga Kuleya (Corie Cole), Jack Goodman.
P.S: The FA Youth Cup First Round draw will probably take place either this coming week or the week after with most ties played at first team stadiums. Here's hoping for a favourable tie for everyone to look forward to!
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