Oxford United’s Under 18s got their pre-season under way with a 2-1 defeat at North Leigh this evening.
Two set pieces for the home side decided a hard-fought game that saw defender George Franklin score United's goal with a first half penalty.
United fielded a side that that included first years Aaron Lacey and Kasway Burton, second years Monty Marriott, Rashane Maxwell, Richard McIntyre, Tobias Brenan, Zaide Took-Oxley, Aidan Elliott-Wheeler and Josh Ihenacho, and third-year Franklin as skipper.
With under 16 midfielder Calum Barratt-Doyle holding in midfield it was a good test against a more experienced Millers side who first made their strength show after 13 minutes when centre-half Dec Peart got up to thump a header beyond Marriott to make it 1-0.
However United responded well and on 23 minutes were level when Franklin and Brenan were impeded and the captain picked himself up to plant the penalty past the dive of former United Academy keeper James Foster.
A competitive game, never dirty but no challenge shirked, saw Franklin repaced by Jacob Fowler at the break and both sides contributed to an entertaining second half. Marriott did well to push away two or three hopeful efforts on a difficult surface slicked by a half-time downpour while the energetic Elliott-Wheeler - fresh from travelling with the First Team for their training camp in Spain- and Burton took the game to the home side with Iheanacho an ever willing target man until replaced by another under 16, Leo Snowden, just after the hour.
However the home side continued to look dangerous from set pieces and on 67 were back in front from another corner when the powerful Jack Tutton, one of several arrivals from Thame United this summer, forced the ball home at the far post to make it 2-1.
It would have been 3-1 but the excellent Lacey made a superb sliding block to deny another former Oxford youngster, Dan West, while the home side were grateful to see an Elliott-Wheeler effort bounce back off the bar with 12 minutes to go from United's best chance of the half.
New scholars Harrison Mole and Denis Travin joined under 16s Louis Griffiths, Josh Holton and Jake Rangecroft for the closing stages- the subs will get longer on the pitch when the team welcome a Robbie Fowler Academy side at the weekend.
All concerned will have benefitted from tonight's work out. We thank North Leigh for their hospitality and wish them well for the coming season.
UNITED
Marriott, Maxwell, Lacey, Franklin (Fowler 46), McIntyre (Rangecroft 82), Barrett-Doyle (Holton 82), Brenan, Took-Oxley (Mole 77), Elliott-Wheeler (Travin 77), Burton (Griffiths 72), Iheanacho (Snowden 63)