|
 |
Ashford Town (Middx) 2
Hayes & Yeading Utd 3
|
 |
| |
United’s under 18s travelled to Ashford Town (Middlesex) on Tuesday evening and in a real games of two halves, United were eventually to triumph by the odd goal in five courtesy of a second half fightback from 2-0 down.
With United devoid of their three main strikers due to injury, an early chance came the way of the visitors as Josh Blaize collected a Mustafa Ahmadi cross at the far post and fired past home ‘keeper Matteo Giacobbe only for his effort to come back off the crossbar.
Despite having lost all of their three league outings thus far, Ashford started to push towards the United goal, aided at first by the wind and then by a heavy downpour which was to become a factor as the first half played out.
Leo Decabo fired in a free-kick from the left that dropped at the feet of Jamie Guttridge, his effort being blocked six yards from goal by a timely defensive interception, within a minute, United skipper Jack Roper came to the rescue as another Decabo free-kick evaded everybody only for Roper to clear off the line for a corner.
That corner was to produce the opening goal for the home side, the ball finding it’s way to Alex Brett who thumped the ball past Alex Ravenhill to give his side the lead in just the 11th minute.
Five minutes later United created a good opened that they failed to take. Blaize raced half the length of the pitch on the left side before finding Jake Sobalak who worked to the bye-line before cutting the ball back to Elijah Manning who with just Giacobbe to beat shinned the ball in the air and the danger was cleared.
With the rain now driving down, the home side earned yet another free-kick to the left of the United area, this time Decabo fired at goal and the ball somehow made it’s way straight through Ravenhill’s gloves to give the hosts a two goal advantage after just 19 minutes.
Chances continued at both ends, Sobalak drove a shot inches wide after more good work by Blaize on the left before at the other end Guttridge broke past the United defence with Ravenhill doing well to stand up to the on-coming striker who placed his shot wide of the post.
Giacobbe then saved down low from Sobalak while Ravenhill kept United in touch at the other end as he got a block in with his boot after another free-kick into the box had dropped nicely to Cameron Richardson.
As the half came towards its conclusion, Giacobbe held on to a Roper header and Sobalak went within a whisker of finding the target with a shot on the turn after superbly bringing the ball under control just inside the box.
Although the second period started a little slowly, at least the rain had ceased. The half time arrival to the United forward line of Nana Adarkwa was a positive move by the United bench that would boost United’s creativity going forwards and lead to a fine comeback victory by the whole team.
Adarkwa didn’t start that well though as he blazed a shooting chance over after good work on the flank from Matthew Achuba but things did get better once he got “warmed up”.
Sobalak and Blaize combined well in the 63rd minute, the latter forcing a low save from Giacobbe and then four minutes later United forced themselves back into the game when Blaize collected the ball on the edge of the box and fired low through a crowd in to the bottom corner of the Ashford net.
The impressive Simeon Olarein raced in from full-back to meet a centre but his stopping header was off target and then in the 71st minute United had fortune on their side and found an equaliser as Ahmadi’s shot deflected off a defenders boot and looped over Giacobbe giving the ‘keeper no chance.
The lead for United was only four minutes away as Adarkwa collected a clearance from an Ashford corner, the striker racing away at pace before holding off two defenders challenges to slot the ball neatly past Giacobbe.
With the hosts somewhat struck down by United’s comeback it was the visitors in the ascendancy for the best part of the remaining time with Giacobbe performing very well to keep the score down.
Adarkwa broke free again within the final ten minutes, his lob over the on-coming Giacobbe going just over the top and then Sobalak collected the ball in the box and with Giacobbe in close attention he manouevered around him and fired goalwards only for the ‘keeper to show his agility by getting a strong hand to the shot to push it wide.
In the dying minutes two more good chances came United’s way, both being thwarted by Giacobbe who firstly tipped an Olarein drive around the post and then did the same thing to deny Sobalak but the points belonged to United as the final whistle blew.
Report by Kevin Watts.
United Man of the Match: Jack Roper.
|
Ashford Town (Middlesex) |
Hayes & Yeading United |
|
|
Jack Roper 
