Under-18s: Manchester United 2 Blackburn 4
Under-18 Premier League Merit Group | J. Davidson Stadium | Scorers: Hamilton 33, 73; Evans 35, Lynch 45, Paton 55, Thompson 81
Manchester United's Under-18s brought down the curtain on the 2016/2017 league season with a home defeat to Blackburn Rovers, albeit a richly entertaining one, at Altrincham on Friday evening.
Both teams gave their all in a non-stop match that continually swung from one end of the field to the other. After six goals were scored, it was Rovers who took all three points, but there were few people at the game who could honestly say that they hadn’t enjoyed a thrilling contest.
There can be no doubting that the Under-18s, under the watchful eyes of Kieran McKenna, Colin Little and the other Academy backroom staff, have enjoyed a reasonably successful and enjoyable season. And whilst there was nothing tangible to celebrate at the end of a long campaign, they can look back with considerable satisfaction on a list of fixtures that provided their loyal band of supporters with a string of attractive performances that were decorated with plenty of goals.
Remarkably, during the regular league season, McKenna's side managed to score three goals three times, four goals on four occasions and five goals in five matches. A total of 63 strikes in 22 matches is a very good return and it is no surprise that the Reds completed the season as runners-up in the title race.
This Merit Group One match between United and Blackburn was the clubs' third meeting of the season at Under-18 level and could be described as the ‘decider’ after each team had registered a victory earlier in the season. The Reds won 4-1 at the Aon Training Complex, before Rovers turned the tables at their Brockhall base with a 3-2 triumph.
There were a good number of supporters seated in the main stand at the J. Davidson Stadium as the game started on a pleasant evening in Altrincham. Early chances fell to United’s Indy Boonen, who shot wide, and Rovers’ Brad Lynch who saw his attempt saved by Reds’ keeper Theo Richardson. United looked certain to take the lead in the 22nd minute, when Ethan Hamilton found Luca Ercolani in space, but the defender’s header went wide.
This may have been the final game of the season for both teams, but neither set of players looked as though they were dreaming of spending time on the beach for it was definitely a keenly-fought encounter. Rovers’ Ben Paton was thwarted by Richardson and seconds later Boonen suffered the same fate when Matthew Campbell pulled off a fine save.
The game suddenly burst into goalscoring action in the run up to half-time with both teams finding the net in the space of two minutes. Hamilton put United in front, in the 33rd minute, after Campbell had parried a shot from Darren McIntosh-Buffonge, but straight away Rovers drew level with a terrific shot from Jack Evans.
Nishan Burkart had the ball in the net shortly afterwards but his ‘goal’ was adjudged to be offside. Rovers then moved into the lead on the stroke of half-time when Lewis Thompson, formerly at United’s Academy, crossed for Brad Lynch to head home.
Ten minutes into the second half and United fell further behind when Ben Paton cracked home an unstoppable shot after collecting Lynch’s pass.
Dion McGhee, making his first appearance for the Reds' Under-18 side, almost marked the occasion with a goal, but his shot brushed the side-netting.
United reduced the arrears to 2-3 in the 73rd minute when Hamilton cracked home a terrific left-foot shot from outside the area. However, Rovers had their two-goal cushion restored with nine minutes remaining when Thompson beat Richardson with another long-range effort.
United: Richardson; Tanner, Ercolani, Barrett (Garner 57), Spratt (Williams 81); Whelan, Hamilton; Dearnley, McIntosh-Buffonge (McGhee 57), Boonen; Burkart.
Substitutes not used: Fojtíček, Levitt.
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