Youth team enjoy second win in new division
Oxford United's Under 18s made it two wins in two games in their new division as they won 4-1 at Peterborough on Saturday.
The young U’s are in the Merit League for the second part of the season and goals from Jordan Graham, Canice Carroll, Graham Bryan and George Jeacock gave them an excellent win over the Posh to follow up their 7-0 win against Newport last time out.
Coach Leon Blackmore-Such told us:
“It’s a new league and so we are coming up against totally new teams every week and that is an interesting challenge. Peterborough had a diamond formation which we haven’t played against too often before. We decided to try and set up to deal with that. The boys found it hard to adapt at first and the first 20 minutes were very open while both sides tried to work each other out a bit. There were chances at both ends and it could have been very high scoring but then it settled down and we went 1-0 up from an excellent Jordan Graham free kick on the edge of the box.
“Peterborough had possession in their own half, which we were happy enough with, but then they went more direct, launched the ball forward and we got in a bit of a muddle trying to deal with it and conceded a penalty to make it 1-1 after about half an hour.
“For the rest of the half we got more on the ball and our central midfield duo of Lewis Hayden and Seth Humphries saw a lot more of the ball. Five minutes from the break we got a set piece and Canice Carroll headed in a good delivery from Jordan Graham so we were 2-1 up at the break.
“We tinkered a little and decided just to go on the front foot and look to impose our own game on them. That worked really well and Peterborough went more direct, which Canice Carroll did really well with, and Miles Welch-Hayes did very well at left back.
“Lewis and Seth got on the ball and we controlled the second half really. There were some good bits of play out wide and that led to good build from the midfield two and Luke Hastings, allowing Kieran Diaz-Benitez to cross and George Jeacock to get across his man and score a very good goal.
“We had more chances to score and then got the fourth from another set piece which Miles headed and Graham Bryan got close to the keeper to score from. That was 4-1 and Peterborough then had their keeper sent off right at the end of the game, but by then we had done enough to win the match anyway.
“It was interesting to have three or four players back after loan spells in men’s football. You can see the physical development and the competitive element that it has added to their game so it has definitely helped.”
United
Stevens, Diaz-Benitez (C Hawtin 80), Ricketts, Carroll, Welch-Hayes, Bryan, Hayden, Humphries, Hastings (Noel-Williams 60), Graham, Jeacock (Hartley 80),