Oxford United Under-18s got the season underway on Saturday with a well-earned 1-0 win away to Leyton Orient.
A late goal from substitute Ethan Dickinson-Annell was enough to separate the two sides and give the Young U’s a perfect start to the season.
Oxford came into the season opener with confidence on the back of an unbeaten pre-season.
Callum Palmer-Flynn led the side as captain for the first time with several new scholars also starting against Orient.
It was a quiet and scrappy start to the contest, with the only opportunities coming from Maeson Vaughan cutting inside and forcing the keeper to make a series of sharp saves.
Momentum shifted towards the hosts as we headed towards the break. The O’s were denied by an excellent save from Will Jackson along with hitting the woodwork on two occasions.
The game continued in a scrappy fashion as the second half got underway, with the heat taking its toll on the game’s intensity.
Then just fifteen minutes after coming on, Dickinson-Annell ran onto a well-timed pass from Palmer-Flynn and beat the keeper at his near post to fire Oxford into a late lead.
The Young U’s managed to shut out Orient for the last fifteen minutes, securing an impressive clean sheet and three points on the road.
Oxford now turn their attention to last year’s Youth Alliance League and Cup winners, AFC Wimbledon.
Oxford United: Jackson, Payne, Osborne (Mainwaring 67’), Folarin, Griffith, Appiah, M.Vaughan (Dickinson-Annell ’63), Palmer-Flynn, Purcell (Andrews 83’), Dourish, Adesanya (Kiriisa 75’)
Unused subs: Jones, Waldron
