Under-18s: Stoke 1 United 2
Manchester United’s youngsters extended the recent unbeaten run with three hard-fought points against Stoke City in the Potteries on Saturday.
Goals from Charlie Scott, in the first half, and Indy Boonen, 13 minutes from time, were sufficient to help the Reds successfully launch the seven-match Merit Group phase of the Barclays Under-18 Premier League.
This first fixture in the play-off stage was more like a reunion event with United and Stoke having already met twice, home and away, at this level since the turn of the year. The Reds were aiming to stretch an unbeaten run to four games, but were more than aware that achieving this at Stoke would be no easy task and that is exactly how it turned out.
The opening minutes were evenly balanced as both sides settled into the game until United, in the eighth minute, opened the scoring at the conclusion of a first meaningful attack. DJ Buffonge looked to have made the breakthrough but, after his shot was blocked on the line, Scott struck from the rebound, aided by a slight deflection off fellow defender Jimmy Dunne, to secure the lead.
Stoke almost replied a couple of minutes later but neither Hakim Abdallah or Jacob Twyford could force the ball past United keeper Oliver Byrne. The United no.1 excelled in the latter stages of the first half as Stoke went in search of an equaliser. Several times, the Potters managed to breach United’s defences but, each time, Byrne was there to save the day.
Abdallah was totally out of luck, in the 37th minute, when his shot was out of Byrne’s reach but struck the foot of a post. Stoke, it has to said, started to improve further in the second half but there was no help from Lady Luck for them in from of goal in the early minutes of the second.
Abdallah was given a great opportunity but fired wildly over and, barely a minute, later Julien N’Goy did precisely the same from virtually the same spot. Zak Dearnley very nearly added to United’s lead, just before the hour but, within two minutes, the Potters' Theo Brierley had put the Potters on level terms.
Reds coach Tommy Martin sent on Boonen for Buffonge in the 62nd minute and it proved to be a masterstroke for, within a quarter of an hour, the substitute had claimed what proved to be the winning goal.
United skipper Tyler Reid sent over the pass into penalty area for Belgian prospect Boonen to provide the finishing touch from close range.
Stoke did their best to try to salvage something from the game in the time that remained, but United weren’t about to be denied their third victory in four games and a winning start to the new phase of the competition.
United: Byrne; Reid, Scott, Dunne, Kenyon; Whelan, Kehinde; Gomes (Barlow 78), Gribbin, Buffonge (Boonen 62); Dearnley. Subs not used: Moutha-Sebtaoui, Sang, Diedrick-Roberts.
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