Oxford United U19s beat Newport County 2-1 in the Youth Alliance League this morning at the Bangkok Glass Training Centre.
United led 2-0 at the break after goals from Kasway Burton and George Franklin, before Newport got one back in the 78th minute through Caleb Evans.
Oxford started strongly, and Newport struggled to deal with the pace and aggression of United’s front three of Burton, Aidan Elliott-Wheeler and Enrique Tiamuna.
United nearly punished them for that in the seventh minute, when Elliott-Wheeler drove down the right, ghosted past the Newport defence and pulled the ball back to the six-yard box. It eventually fell to Zaide Took-Oxley who fired his curling effort over the bar.
After a close shave at the back, United did make their pressure pay. Monty Marriott pinged his goal kick through to Tiamuna who brought the ball down superbly on his chest, got his head up and found Burton free in the middle to slot home in the 11th minute.
Ten minutes later, United found a simple second. Skipper George Franklin nodded home Elliott-Wheeler’s floated corner in off the post and the U’s had doubled their lead.
Richard Gerrard, coming back into the side after a short injury, curled an effort just over the bar in the 37th minute, and United were able to control the game to go into the half-time break two ahead.
Gerrard was replaced at the half-way mark by Denis Travin, who has just signed a scolarship with the U’s.
Burton and Franklin both had good chances to double their tally for the day. In the 55th minute, Tobias Brenan slid Burton through in the box, but the forward dragged his strike just wide. Then Franklin popped up on the edge of the box and passed the ball just the wrong side of the right-hand post.
Newport had a bit more about them in the second 45. United stood strong and Marriott made some good claims between the sticks, but with just over ten minutes to play Newport pulled themselves back into the game when Evans headed home from a corner
That made it a tense final ten minutes, although Burton had the chance to relieve those nerves, bending the ball just wide after latching on to Brenan’s through ball in added time.
Kyron Webb, Jacob Fowler and Josh Iheanacho all got some minutes from the bench and United were able to hold on to the lead and get back to winning ways in the Youth Alliance League.
LINEUP: Marriott, Gerrard (Travin, 45’), Lacey, Zabeli, Bond (Webb, 88’), Took-Oxley, Franklin (Fowler, 73’), Brenan, Tiamuna (Iheanacho, 65’), Burton, Elliott-Wheeler