Barnsley (U18s) 2-1 Scunthorpe United (U18s)

Barnsley (U18s) 2-1 Scunthorpe United (U18s)

FA Youth Cup Second Round

Thursday 10th November 2022

The result wasn’t to be but Scunthorpe United’s U18s ought to feel incredibly proud of how they performed in this FA Youth Cup defeat to Barnsley under the floodlights at Oakwell.

In what, theoretically, was just about the toughest Second Round tie they could face on paper - away from home at a Category Two team flying high at the top of their league, it was Scunthorpe who were actually the better team for three quarters of the game. They applied themselves excellently as a unit, held a lead for a while through Tyrell Sellars-Fleming’s early strike, gave it absolutely everything, and were really unlucky not to at least force extra-time.

The effort levels and commitment was unquestionable and although it wasn’t to be - thus there’ll be no repeat of a glamour Third Round tie at Old Trafford like last year, they can go away from this game with their heads held high.

Having not seen Barnsley’s U18s previously, I don’t want to comment on them too much. They’re obviously top of the PDL (North) Division for a reason, but in this game they were poor - particularly in the first 45 minutes when they looked like a bag of nerves in defence, and it was only their ‘star player’ in Fabio Jalo who got them out of jail with two goals in the second half.

I’m not going to judge them on one game alone because that would be stupid, but they’ll be breathing an almighty sigh of relief at having managed to turn things around and be in the Third Round draw where they might now play one of the big dogs.

Match Report

Firstly, I've got to admit that I owe Scunthorpe's players an apology because when I saw the team-sheet - and saw Mr Jalo’s inclusion in the starting line-up; he scored two against Doncaster Rovers’ first team and ripped them apart only a few weeks ago, then my instant reaction was that it might be a long and difficult night ahead.

Jalo is genuinely that good and it’ll probably only be a few years time when he’s gone on to much bigger and better things and this night is viewed through retrospective eyes and hindsight, that people realise exactly what they were coming up against in facing him.

That said, the Iron backline - led by Finn Abraham, including Harry Elliott-Bell and Ben Pike, and with Charley Strouther ‘nipping in’ from left-back to make lots of tackles and neat interceptions, nigh on completely nullified his threat in the first half. They kept him really quiet, bar one 'air shot' and an early set-piece chance where his inswinging free-kick was palmed away by Owen Foster and Charlie Hickingbottom headed over from the resulting corner. It’s testament to the work that they did that together.

Instead, it was Barnsley who had the defensive problems. 

Two of the Reds centre-backs, Jonathan Bland and Charlie Hickingbottom, were yellow carded before the break and they looked wild, wobbly and really vulnerable every time a ball came at them, especially if it was in the air, as Tyrell Sellars-Fleming and Harrison Poulter constantly managed to get goal-side and into dangerous positions.

Scunny’s start was excellent and after Nat Wallace had fired over from a free-kick on the edge of the box where Poulter had been pulled back by Jonathan Bland, it wasn’t long before the Barnsley defence made a calamitous mistake which resulted in the opening goal. Kynan Murchison and Trent Carter-Rogers just didn’t speak to each other when trying to deal with a ball in the air on the edge of the area and with the home ‘keeper miles off his line, Murchison’s wayward backwards header was intercepted by Sellars-Fleming who couldn’t believe his luck as he tapped it into an empty net from just a few yards out.

It was an absolute gift yet exactly what Scunthorpe deserved at that point and they made a few further inroads before the break as they sought to double their lead.

Sellars-Fleming flashed a shot into the side-netting from a tight angle after Wallace picked up a loose ball in midfield and slipped a low pass through to him, and just a few minutes later Wallace himself got a shot away on goal which forced a save from a back-peddling Carter-Rogers. A long punt forward by Abraham also caused Barnsley's defence quite a bit more concern as they remained ‘unconvincing’ whenever they had things to deal with.

Strouther was also the architect of some beautiful balls; whether it be at set-pieces or in open play. They were almost always precise and one just before half-time was of the highest quality. Initially, he demonstrated good footwork to get out of danger and turn away from Alex Anaman in a deep position and his subsequent ball down the line put Poulter through on goal, where he shrugged off a Reds defender and was only thwarted by Carter-Rogers who got down well to smother his effort before he needed treatment for a minute or two.

Barnsley did create a half-chance just before the interval. Strouther was caught in possession as he tried to go inside and it culminated in the hosts working the ball quickly into the area where Foster was quick and alert to narrow the angle and got down well to pull off a save from Anaman’s shot.

So poor was Barnsley’s first half performance that I’m certain they’ll have received a bit of a [insert whatever word you want] during their half-time team talk but, with a couple of tactical tweaks made - including the introduction of Rafael Monteiro for Jean Claude Makiessi, the Reds began the second half in exactly the right manner and soon enough they forced an equaliser.

Scunny’s defence had a high line as the ball came into Jalo’s feet and, his tidy technique to spin away and instinctively accelerate away and into a one-on-one was followed by excellent composure in taking the ball round Owen Foster and slotting it home. His pace was just too much and it was a quality finish from a quality player destined for better things; blink of an eye type punishment and the exact ‘spark’ that Barnsley needed after such a dull first half showing where they were all over the place.

It seemed to signal a turning point because the hosts played their best football of the night for a 15-minute period after this equaliser, enjoying more possession and territory, and they mustered up an attempt on target when Hayden Pickard (a regular at U23s level) was denied at close-range, before Harvey Cribb put in a good challenge to thwart Jalo just a few minutes later.

By the hour mark, the game was starting to open up a bit again and Scunny weren’t being 'penned back' as much and they soon had a few half-openings from which they were unlucky not to get something.

Poulter thought he should have been awarded a free-kick when he was knocked off balance right on the edge of the box and when the ball subsequently dropped to Sellars-Fleming, he too went down - this time inside the area, whilst his low cut-back was booted away from danger.

There was an even bigger opening on 63 minutes when silky footwork by Elliott-Bell saw him stylishly turn his man and then skip a potential clattering on the right touchline (instead the linesman ended up on his arse thanks to a sliding Barnsley player), before he cut inside and burst into the box where his low cut-back was intercepted. Elliott-Bell perhaps could have instead opened up an angle for a pop at goal but his technique to get into such a dangerous position was utterly excellent.

In the meantime, Vimal Yoganathan also went into the notebook for a tackle on Wallace.

Despite this bright little spell, it was within about 30 seconds of Elliott-Bell’s cut-back being cleared that Barnsley had broken down the other end and won a penalty as Jalo (who else?) was brought down inside the box after another mazy run where the ball stuck to his feet like superglue. The Reds’ scoring sensation duly converted from the spot to turn the game on its head and put Barnsley into a lead for the first time.

That second goal might have killed the confidence of some teams and, whilst Scunny did need a few minutes to regroup, compose themselves and go again, they gave it a magnificent effort during what remained of the game as they tried to force an equaliser and get (at least) extra-time.

The intensity was strong. The desire to equalise was faultless. Shay Larkin was thrown into the mix, replacing Edward Devine, just a minute or so after Sellars-Fleming had a shot blocked after some good work by Josh Robertson to win the ball, who himself warmed the gloves of Carter-Rogers with a curling attempt from 20 yards inside the last quarter-of-an-hour.

There was also a bizarre moment of crap officiating when Bland pulled back Sellars-Fleming as he tried to through; the referee playing advantage when the linesman was waving his flag about (which didn’t impress anyone) and both benches had complaints. One Barnsley defender even appeared to stop altogether and harsh words of 'Either keep your f**king flag down or put it up altogether' were more than fair.

However, the best chance of the lot to equalise soon came from a set-piece as Ben Pike’s headed connection from a corner ricocheted off two or three Barnsley defenders and looked for all the world that it might creep in until Carter-Rogers somehow smothered it on the goal-line.

Barnsley remained on the back foot in the latter stages - showing very similar signs of nervousness to what they did during the opening 45 minutes as Pickard was booked for a foul which led to another free-kick that Wallace again put over the upright, whilst Carter-Rogers came off his line a few times and ‘shanked’ rather than struck a few clearances into the air.

Five minutes of injury-time were indicated as Barnsley were pushed back but despite a couple more good balls into the box - including a great one from Elliott-Bell straight to Larkin’s feet where the substitute was judged to be just offside (albeit in lots of space had he not been so), the final whistle eventually went.

Barnsley were left breathing a sigh of relief; knowing they’d rode their luck to a very large extent to get into the Third Round (and good luck to them against whoever they face next), whereas Scunthorpe - although no doubt 'gutted' about the outcome, can take so much pride in their performance. It just wasn’t to be their night and that’s football sometimes but they gave it everything.

Overall Thoughts

Whenever I’ve watched Scunthorpe this year I’ve been impressed by them and this was another display where they won my respect because of what they produced and especially the effort levels that were evident and on show throughout the game.

Football can be uncertain at the best of times and there’s always loads of worries for academy players; whether it be their form, results, performances, general life problems at their age, and whether they’ll ultimately be able to earn a pro contract. Throw in all the turmoil at SUFC over the past year and it’s fair to say these lads had it tougher than any previous cohort - but with this performance, they made their club proud, their families proud and they performed unbelievably well.

Considering all the shitty ‘trauma’ and uncertainty that the club has been through (and is still going through in various respects), it’s testament to them all that they’re able to shine so brightly in such a horrible period.

Every Scunthorpe fan who watched this game (or even those who just see the lads floating about inside Glanford Park at the next game) ought to say: ‘You know what boys, you’ve been f**king excellent’ because they have been in their performance levels! Yes, they lost this game and the result wasn't to be; it happens, but it was a pleasure to witness the performance.

Whether or not Barnsley had an ‘off day’ (as it might be justifiably claimed) is immaterial because the fact is Scunny competed more than admirably against a supposedly better team - and, as I said right at the start, they were actually the better side for three quarters of this game. Ultimately, it was just one player who made two twinkle-toed runs which was the difference - and he’ll probably be playing in the Premier League in a few years time anyway; but other than Fabio Jalo nobody would have been able to tell who was the Category Two team and who were the Category Three underdogs! That's how close it was.

Other than little bits and pieces, the two things I'd have loved to have seen happen is for Nat Wallace to have got just one of his two or three free-kicks on target because he’s got it in his locker at set-plays and poses such a good attacking threat anyway with how he glides with the ball in open play. That, and for HEB to have just smashed in a shot he burst into the box because had either of those openings resulted in something going on target, then who knows what might have happened?

Barnsley’s defence and ‘keeper certainly didn’t convince me at any point whatsoever and it's a fair observation to say Harry Elliott-Bell (quality long-range distribution and he even got smacked in the face by a ball at close-range late on in charging down a shot - yet he didn’t even flinch), Finn Abraham (a solid centre-back with a good physique who’s got the armband for a reason and attacks the ball in the air really well - and the occasional advertising board if the ball ricochets the wrong way off a corner flag) and Ben Pike (some tidy contributions where he read the game well, plus he nearly scrambled in an equaliser late on) were the best three defenders on the pitch.

Another who made a really good impression in this game is Charley Strouther.

He deserves a decent mention which is thoroughly earned because it’s the third time he’s won my admiration with his performances this season - and it’s the third time I’ve seen him this year. It’s no coincidence either because he’s a good player with talent and it's obvious. He still has things to improve; he drifted inside and lost possession before half-time which led to a chance for Barnsley (got to be better there) and there was a little bit of positional play where he drifted inside earlier in the half, but that aside, his sweet left-foot - and the quality of what he produces with it, stands out a mile. One of his best contributions; turning his man and clipping such a piercing ball over the top for Harrison Poulter, was brilliant. His set-pieces were also good. On top of that, he nipped in to make three or four really good interceptions in the first half - including a very timely one which further convinced me of his abilities just after the Barnsley dugout had been screaming for him to be booked (where they had a point in fairness to them). It showed he wasn’t phased by the occasion or coming under pressure from the other bench. I look for consistency, he’s shown it a few times now because he was good at Pontefract (where he scored the weirdest goal I’ve seen anywhere this season) and he was decent in the defeat at Doncaster too with his end product. So believe in yourself and believe in your own ability and be proud of how you’re performing. It’s been good and I’ve loved watching it - and I want to see even more of it when I pop up at games because it’s class and that left-foot reminds so much of Lewis Cunningham who has just signed for Birmingham City’s U21s.

I’ve spoken to Harrison Poulter already this year and he’s another with bucket loads to be proud about because his work-rate has been really good. It’s improved and has been really impressive at times and it’s being noticed by everyone - and he caused multiple problems to Barnsley’s defence by just being a relentless and persistent pain in the arse to defend against. Bravo! Tyrell Sellars-Fleming (who’ll never score an easier goal than this one) will take plenty of good memories from this FA Youth Cup run this season where his contributions have been excellent and he’s certainly got his name out there which will help as he tries to forge a career.

Josh Robertson was very good at Doncaster a few weeks back and he showed similar ‘tenacious’ characteristics in this game - especially in the latter stages where he really battled hard to get the ball back a few times and tried to make something happen. His influence is massive and it’ll show soon. I’ve got no doubts about that.

Edward Devine will have learned loads from this experience, Shay Larkin posed a threat when he came on (shame about the offside but the beard is absolutely tremendous!), and, just like Harvey Cribb (who had the intelligence to drop back at times and make some really clever interceptions - one in either half and both were good), they’ll all have another shot at trying to go on a run in the FA Youth Cup next year.

Perhaps the best known player in Scunny’s team is Owen Foster. There wasn’t anything he could do about either of the goals although he pulled off a few good saves and anticipated things well when he needed to - especially with his save close to half-time, and it’s testament to the work that the defence infront of him did, plus the attackers, that the Barnsley ‘keeper was by far the busier of the two.

I’m not really sure what to make of Barnsley and, as I've said, I don’t want to comment too much on them because it’s the first time I’ve watched them but had it not been for their ‘Get Out Of Jalo Free Card’ then I’m not sure how they’d have won this game. Rafael Monteiro added little bits of guile and craft in midfield in the second half when he came on; that didn’t go unnoticed, but as a team they can’t have been at their best.

Therefore, my credit will go to Scunthorpe.

Naturally, when it comes to the future, not every player who featured for the Iron will get a pro contract (and who even knows where SUFC will be this time next year anyway) and for some lads this might be the last time they get to experience this type of occasion - playing in a decent stadium under the floodlights, in the limelight and infront of a decent crowd, but they did themselves proud.

I’ve felt all season that the North-East Youth Alliance table - and certainly Scunthorpe’s position towards the bottom, has been false, because I can see the qualities/characteristics they’ve got in this team. They aren't world beaters and like anyone they've got flaws, strengths and weaknesses and things to improve but the two stand-out things are they possess some good players (shown over various games) and they've got a great work-ethic which is sometimes half the battle won.

They’ve been unlucky not to get results until recently where they've turned a proverbial corner and put a little unbeaten run together, and the task now for them is to replicate this type of performance in the league games and get themselves into a position in the league table where they deserve to be. 

If the basics; work-rate, desire and intensity, remain strong, plus having that little bit of quality in certain areas (another mention for Charley Strouther's deliveries) I know they'll get results.

Go on lads... you've got my full support!

Barnsley: Trent Carter-Rogers, Josh McKay, Hayden Pickard, Jonathan Bland, Charlie Hickingbottom, Kynan Murchison, Vimal Yoganathan, Jean Claude Makiessi (Rafael Monteiro), Josiah Dyer (Emmaisa Nzondo), Alex Anaman, Fabio Jalo. Unused Subs: Rogan Ravenhill, Luis Lacey, Mylan Benjamin, Leo Farrell, Astin Brace.

Scunthorpe United: Owen Foster, Nat Wallace, Charley Strouther, Harry Elliott-Bell, Finn Abraham, Ben Pike, Edward Devine (Shay Larkin), Josh Robertson, Harrison Poulter, Tyrell Sellars-Fleming, Harvey Cribb. Unused Subs: Charlie Burden-Whittleton, Ewan Oxborough, Lucas Dawson, Lucas Dickinson, Grayson Giles, Blake Gregory.