Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 1-0 Huddersfield Town (U18s)

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 1-0 Huddersfield Town (U18s)

EFL Youth Alliance

Saturday 26th March 2022

Jack Goodman's predatory finish ensured Doncaster Rovers' youngsters finished the regular EFL Youth Alliance season on a high note as they beat Huddersfield Town, 1-0.

At a Cantley Park which was bathed in sunshine, there were so many positives about Rovers' performance; whether it be the goal which was a very patient and well-worked move, the defensive shape which was excellent throughout, or the threat the lads posed during turnovers in possession. Plenty of players put in a good shift and performed well and appear to have grasped what's needed at youth team level.

Since Rovers' last home game just over a month ago (a 3-1 win over Rotherham United played in polar opposite weather), the lads have done enough over a couple of away games to ensure a top half finish ahead of the Scottish Premiership style 'split' and they'll now have four more fixtures against others who've finished in the top five.

A top half finish was something I thought would be an achievable target for the lads right at the start of the campaign and, despite some struggles early on when they couldn't stop conceding, they've rode out the low patch and overcome that adversity, improved as the weeks have gone on, and ultimately deserve their top half spot.

Despite having probably the best resources of all clubs in the division, Huddersfield have struggled for consistent results and will compete with others to avoid the proverbial wooden spoon in the coming weeks. Their line-up for this game, nevertheless, included several good technical players and some with 'experience' such as Ernaldo Krasniqi (No.4) who is a first-year pro. He dominated this fixture last year, has gained international recognition with Albania in recent months, and also spent time earlier this season out on loan with Falkirk's first team in Scottish League One where he made eight appearances!

That experience, plus the technical ability elsewhere in the team and a definite height advantage over Rovers' players, meant the Terriers couldn't be underestimated and they played their part in a good game which was tight and intriguing for the large part.

Rovers began brightly and imposed themselves well during the early stages and just over five minutes were on the clock when they fashioned up the game's first opening as Michael Nesbitt's right-sided cross reached Tom Parkinson inside the box. He hammered a low drive goalwards but somehow or another the Huddersfield 'keeper pulled off a save to keep it 0-0.

Nesbitt had quite a bit of success down the right flank and was the instigator of more danger only a couple of minutes later. This time his looping cross reached Alex Fletcher who couldn't quite get enough direction on his header to trouble the visiting 'keeper.

There was a lot of positives within Rovers' play during the early stages and they made Huddersfield (who were playing a high defensive line), look vulnerable at every quick turnover in possession. It was pleasing stuff and just past the quarter-hour mark another move down the right side culminated in another effort as Will Hollings drove a shot over the target at the second attempt.

The West Yorkshire side gradually began to establish a foothold following their shaky start and in the 10-minute spell leading up to the half-hour mark they had a decent spell of pressure. It nearly led to an opener because a corner from the left was flicked goalwards and cleared off the line only as far as Joseph Johnson whose subsequent snap-shot from a tight angle rattled the upright. With the ball still in play, it was quickly recycled out wide before another cross into the box was powerfully headed away by Fletcher to big cries of 'Yesssssssssss' by who else but Jak Whiting.

Huddersfield's near-miss sparked Rovers back into life and they soon clipped the woodwork themselves on the back of a set-piece. It all came about after a swift and sweeping turnover in possession where Alex Wolny initially had a vicious drive tipped wide. From Parkinson's subsequent corner, Dan Wilds was in an awkward position with his back to goal as he stooped to make a connection and the ball clipped, rather than rattled, the upright on its way over.

A more clear-cut opening quickly followed for Goodman as Rovers went even closer two minutes later. Nesbitt again provided the delivery from open play on the right flank and Owen Scattergood's knockdown inside the box freed up space for Goodman whose attempt flew narrowly over.

Whilst the youth team talisman ought to have got that effort on target, it didn't matter too much because in the very next move he broke the deadlock with a predatory close-range finish. 

It was a patient and well-constructed goal which had so much quality about it because having won possession, Rovers tried to go down the left through Parkinson and Fletcher but they couldn't find the space to do so, therefore had to play the ball back to the defence (with Whiting playing a very vocal part in orchestrating things). The ball was kept well which drew the Huddersfield defence out before an attack was sprung in the blink of an eye with Charlie Petch finding Nesbitt who in turn provided an inviting ball towards the near-post area where Goodman was on-hand to convert. Whoooooooooosh! 1-0.

Goodman saw another attempt blocked as Rovers went close again whilst Nesbitt carried out his defensive duties diligently by providing a block at the other end to ensure that it stayed 1-0 by half-time.

The second half then proved to be quite different to the first 45 minutes and was pretty much a case of remaining resilient and dealing with whatever Huddersfield could offer as they pressed for an equaliser. The Terriers probably had around 66% possession and definitely most of the territory but they weren't able to conjure up many openings which was testament to how well the Rovers backline maintained their shape and structure.

Krasniqi came closest as he let fly with a speculative 25-yard drive which sailed narrowly over not long after the re-start whilst Fletcher also made a superb block to prevent an almost certain equaliser when the ball dropped to a visiting attacker inside the box in the last 20 minutes.

But that was about it in terms of Huddersfield's chances! 

Rovers went close a few times themselves at the other end; Nesbitt drilling a shot wide of the right-hand post not long after Krasniqi's shot, whilst the ball was also bundled into the net during the latter stages despite the referee's whistle having already gone. Tempers also threatened to boil over at one point when the referee almost lost control at a Rovers corner and no sooner had the ball been delivered, the whistle went as someone was penalised for something or another.

Four minutes of injury-time were seen out quite comfortably and the final whistle ensured it was another pleasing outcome to celebrate. Huddersfield weren't a bad team and they had lots of skilful players and good individuals whose talent was evident but Rovers work-rate (especially off the ball and out of possession), defensive shape and then some quality moves over the course of the game were things that shone through and stood out.

There were some good individual contributions and these are my thoughts:

Luke Chadwick: Kept a clean-sheet but didn't actually have that many saves to make. Commanded his area and did simple bits like claiming crosses when it was needed on a day where the defence infront of him was superb. Wasted a few seconds in the latter stages at a goal-kick (a contribution which definitely irked the opposition!) and nearly knocked me out during the warm-up with a stray kick which whistled less than a foot past my head when I wasn't looking! There'd have been a few more people wanting autographs if that had happened!

Michael Nesbitt: A quality contribution on his return to the team with several good deliveries from open play (as the report probably highlights). Featured for about an hour and during that time he caused several problems, competed well, blocked a shot which might have been going in, got an assist and even nearly scored as well. Happy Saturdays!

 

Charlie Petch: Another solid showing from the big centre-back who was good with his feet, commanded things in the air and once again looked very solid and comfortable. He's put in some classy displays recently and will be a near-certainty for the 'Player Of The Season' award if he keeps it up.

Jak Whiting: Frightened a couple of owls in nearby trees with a high-pitched squeal when he made the most of a slightly late tackle just past the hour mark. Bought a few extra seconds in that incident through clever gamesmanship (which he's excellent at). Floated some nice balls down the line for others to run onto during the first half, encouraged others when he could see something ahead of him that would help and played a vocal part in the goal - encouraging Tom Parkinson to come backwards rather than try and force things down the left. A skipper in the making without a shadow of the doubt and, again, one of those days where if I was on the opposition then I'd probably be getting rattled by him. The best kind of player you can have in your team by a mile and he's got a great defensive relationship and understanding with Charlie Petch. The owls were very scared though!

Alex Fletcher: Energetic and threatening in the unfamiliar left-wing-back slot where he performed excellently before swapping sides when Will Green replaced Michael Nesbitt. Had a really good first 20 minutes, caused a lot of problems, and made two very good defensive contributions. Bravo!

Dan Wilds: Returning to the team after suspension and provided lots of energy in the link position between defence and midfield. Vocal as always, performed well and was a solidifying presence who combined strongly with Will Hollings during the first 45 minutes.

Will Hollings: A really good and positive first half before he was replaced by Corie Cole (which I think might have been a pre-planned change) and it was one of his best displays of the season. Showed good quality on the ball, did his out of possession stuff excellently, set standards for a few others to match, 'ratted' and competed and influenced things which shows he's improved certain areas of his game. A good showing. No complaints whatsoever although one of his shots ended up in the trees!

Tom Parkinson: Appears to have 'bulked up' a bit and used that upper body strength to good effect on a few occasions. Was lively and directly involved in quite a few moves from the outset, had the first chance of the game and put in a good shift. Linked up well with Alex Fletcher on the left and can take a lot of comfort in how he performed. 

Owen Scattergood: A quiet game by his usual standards but he was still involved in bits and pieces in good attacking areas and showed some nice touches - the best of which was where his knockdown set up a chance for Jack Goodman just before the actual goal.

Alex Wolny: Strong and bustling presence as always who dictated quite a few things high up the pitch before dropping back and putting in another good shift in the second half. His effort and work-rate out of possession couldn't be faulted, his first touch was immaculate a few times and he made other little contributions which didn't go unnoticed. Caused the Huddersfield defenders many issues and, overall, he's been a breath of fresh air in the games which I've witnessed in the past two months or so.

Jack Goodman: The goalscorer! He's now bagged 15 times for the season; a goals-to-games ratio which is on a par with Rieves Boocock and Junior Smith (top scorers in 2018/19 and 2019/20, respectively). Probably should have had another goal but he's not scared of taking on chances and trying his luck which is exactly what you'd want from a striker. Performed bravely on the forward line and getting the winner was his reward. He's improved certain facets of his game over the course of the season, is progressing well, and if it wasn't for the fact that Charlie Petch has been outstanding for a while, he'd be up there in my opinion in a 'Player Of The Season' vote.

Corie Cole: Came on a substitute at half-time and definitely got the short straw considering how different the second half was in comparison to the first. Found it hard to influence things high up the pitch given Huddersfield had the lads 'penned in' (to a point) and they're a team who can retain possession well anyway. Still made noticeable contributions such as dropping deep to receive the ball from Luke Chadwick and got a few things going. Will be happy with the match minutes as he's been out injured in recent weeks.

Will Green: Came on for Michael Nesbitt after an hour which led to a change in shape at the back and played his part in a good collective defensive performance. He couldn't influence that much given how the game was by the time of his introduction but he didn't put a foot wrong. Will be part of the team next season as he's still in the U16s at present.

Max Adamson: Featured for the last 10 minutes and did alright against Ernaldo Krasniqi during spells where the ball went in his general direction. Has scored plenty of goals at U16s level over the course of the season and will be hoping to make a big impact next season.

Josh Lindley: Another who came on as a substitute in the closing stages but wasn't really on the pitch for long enough to make any significant impact. Has started the vast majority of games over the past couple of months and will be hoping to work hard to regain a place in the final four games.