Lincoln United (U18s) 3-0 Anstey Nomads (U18s)

Lincoln United (U18s) 3-0 Anstey Nomads (U18s)

FA Youth Cup Preliminary Round Qualifying

Thursday 1st September 2022

A night under the floodlights at Ashby Avenue ended with Lincoln United's youth team progressing to the First Qualifying Round of the FA Youth Cup with what was quite a comfortable win over Anstey Nomads.

United, wearing white, always looked the brighter and more inventive of the two teams and although it took them a while, they made the breakthrough when Oscar Jenkins' fortuitous attempt looped up and over the diminutive Anstey 'keeper Archie Briggs just before the hour mark.

Oliver Fields (who put in a very assured display in the No.4 role) bundled home a second from a corner-kick soon afterwards before Luke Horne beat the visiting 'keeper for strength to complete the scoring in the closing stages of what was an enjoyable game.

The scoreline was a fair reflection of what unfolded and there was some surprisingly talented players on show who performed with such freedom and made a great first impression - especially Garvie Cameron (No.7) who stood out a mile and would have also had his name on the score-sheet if his penalty hadn't been saved by the Nomads 'keeper.

On a pleasant enough evening; the kind of which needs to be enjoyed with the prospect of freezing cold nights not that far away now, kick-off was initially delayed by 15 minutes due to the visitors being caught up in traffic en route from Leicestershire. That paved the way for 'Seventeen Going Under' to be played twice over the tannoy system... and I'm never going to complain when the PA man has a half-decent taste in music and knows his tunes!

When things did get underway, it was United who made the brighter and more energetic start. Horne (No.11) posed a threat with the sheer height advantage he posed and had the game's first chance of note when he got on the end of Charlie Whitehill's left-wing cross into the box but somewhat placed his shot wide.

Cameron then made the first of many good contributions with a powerful drive which was bravely blocked by Anstey's Leam Osborne (who soon needed treatment) before the visitors got the ball down and showed a few ideas of their own with piercing through balls which twice in quick succession forced Lincoln United 'keeper Roy Gambles to come off the line and clear the danger under pressure.

By and large, Lincoln looked the better of the two teams and they had two more chances in quick succession around the half-hour mark as Cameron hit a speculative shot over the upright, whilst Quintino Saggiorrato  (hope I've spelt that one correctly - and he was another in Lincoln's team who put in a good shift) then drew a routine save from a back peddling 'keeper.

Saggiorrato was involved again as the hosts put the ball in the net before half-time; providing the pass for Horne to convert, but the linesman's flag had long since gone up for offside.

After the re-start, Lincoln again looked positive, took the game to Anstey and played on the front foot, and they needed about only 60 seconds to force another save as Cameron latched onto a cross but saw his header go straight at Briggs.

Saggiorrato then forced a diving save at the expense of a corner which came to nothing before Anstey mustered up a rare opening at the other end. A visiting attacker had an effort which was palmed by Gambles straight into the path of his team-mate who, somehow, blazed the ball over the stand and into the trees behind the goal with the follow-up - despite the fact it seemed easier to score than miss.

It proved costly because Lincoln then went down the other end and took the lead with Oscar Jenkins (No.8) hitting a speculative cross-shot from the angle of the area which looped up and over the visiting 'keeper, and ended up in the back of the net. 1-0 to the home team.

As the hour mark came and went, United (now leading) played with even more freedom and desire and Cameron, who caused so much havoc with his left-foot out on the right flank, played an instrumental part in the hosts winning a penalty on 64 minutes. 

He received the ball out wide, put the accelerators on and beat his marker owing to some fine skill and technique and once inside the box, he was deliberately bundled over. You could hear the contact as well as see it and it was a straightforward decision for the referee to give a penalty. The 16-year-old subsequently stepped up from 12 yards but, in a trend that was in keeping with the rest of the game, Anstey's 'keeper came out on top in that particular duel; saving the 'down the middle' before the rebound was knocked behind just before Cameron could get to it.

Nevertheless, from the resulting corner, Lincoln did make it 2-0.

Cameron's ball into the box caused a mini melee inside the six yard box and it was Fields who appeared to get the final touch which sent the ball looping over the 'keeper and into the back of the net. The home players celebrated wildly with Gambles even sprinting the full length of the pitch to join in with his team-mates.

By this point, the game was theoretically over as a contest and although Anstey 'huffed and puffed' in search of a goal which would have given them hope; going close when a free-kick was smashed over from 20 yards, United always looked the more likely to bag another goal.

Horne put the ball in the net for a second time only to be denied by the flag for a second time but he wasn't to be denied his goal on the night because with about five minutes remaining, he headed home from close range in a height mis-match against the Anstey 'keeper, with Saggiorrato providing the assist by virtue of a looping cross that was on a plate for him.

All in all, the best team won and Lincoln were good value.

As stated already, Garvie Cameron was the best player on the pitch and showed many tidy qualities which I could spot from an early stage in the game. It's a shame he can't score penalties otherwise he'd have got a goal his individual display merited but, joking aside, he was good with the ball at his feet; nippy, quick and direct by running at his marker (which contributed to winning the penalty and also a free-kick about 10 minutes prior to that), his set-pieces consistently had the right ideas behind them and were generally delivered into good areas, he played a fantastic ball to feet on the switch late on, showed clever movement and technique and linked up very well with his team-mates. He put himself in exploitative positions time and time again and that's partly why he posed such a threat. Although there's a few bits and pieces he could improve, in terms of making a positive first impression he did that and ought to take a lot of confidence and be proud of his performance. It was good to watch and when you add that to the men's football he's already been involved in over recent weeks (and will be learning lots from) then it's exactly the right thing to do at his age. There's a few similarities I can draw between him and Sam Osborne who nowadays plays for AFC Fylde back when he was the same age. Keep it up!

Likewise, Quintino Saggiorrato (No.10) put in a lot of effort and linked-up well with others to pose a significant threat as did Oliver Fields (No.4) who looked accomplished in his midfield role, controlled the game, broke up play really well, seemed to complete a lot of his passes and then put in a big, strong and commanding tackle right at the end which left a smile on my face. It was good stuff.

The United 'keeper, Roy Gambles, warrants a mention for his clean sheet and the fact that every facet of his game was alright - his kicking, commanding and everything else; couldn't complain with any of it. And, up at the other end, probably the only player who was taller than Gambles was Luke Horne who got a deserved goal in the closing minutes. There were more aspects to his game rather than just being the stereotypical 'big lump' that any taller than normal forward player is often perceived to be.

Anstey's best player was their skipper, Devonte Khan (No.4), and he made some good contributions, found a few passes and floated a decent free-kick into the box from deep in the latter stages when the visitors were desperately looking for some way of getting back into the game but for Anstey on a whole, this was a night they'll generally want to forget.

Lincoln have some good players so good luck to them in the next round and if they give another good account of themselves, they'll probably pose whoever they play next (the First Qualifying Round draw is still TBC) a few problems.

A special mention for the referee as well who handled the game superbly, was firm but fair and spoke to players in the correct way. I wish it was like that every week!