Liverpool u18 0 Barnsley u18 1 (Sep 16 2006)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL U18 0 Barnsley U18 1

Report by Dave Usher at the Academy

Scorer(s) - Half Time - 0-0 Venue - The Academy Date - Sat 16 Sep 2006 Star Man - Dave Roberts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The reds u18 side remain rooted to the bottom of the table after a home defeat to Barnsley leaves them without a win from their opening five games. The visitors had lost all four of their previous games this season, and it was easy to see why as they relied mainly on brute force and long ball football. That was all they needed to beat John Owens’ young side however, as the physical advantage the visitors had always looked like being the difference between the sides.

Owens’ side was makeshift, and contained a lot of players who are inexperienced at this level. The Melwood based players who usually play for the u18s – Darby, Threlfall, Flynn and Lindfield – were missing, although keeper Dave Roberts was available. That weakened the side considerably, but the loss of centre half Laurence Gaughan just before kick off was also significant. Gaughan was replaced in the side by Mattone Awang, who lined up at left back with Stephen Behan switching to centre back to partner Jay Spearing.

I don’t know exactly how tall those two are, but neither can be more than five foot seven. The u12 side probably have taller centre halves than that! There was no height anywhere in the side, and even the keeper isn’t the tallest. Paul Barratt stood head and shoulders above everyone, and even he is well short of six foot. Barnsley had four or five really big lads, and it really was men against boys.

The reds lined up with Roberts in goal, John Routledge at right back, Awang on the left and Behan and Spearing in the middle. The midfield was Ben Parsonage on the right, Shane O’Connor on the left, Barratt and Charlie Barnett in the centre with Ray Putterill and Michael Collins up front.

Barnsley threatened as early as the opening minute, when Barnett had to make a brilliant block tackle to foil what would have been a great chance. From the resultant corner, the reds launched a quick counter attack which should have produced the opening goal. Parsonage’s flick on the edge of his own box sent Barratt running clear and suddenly the reds had a three against one breakaway. Barratt was spoiled for choice, with team-mates to his right and left. He opted to go right, but it was a poor pass and the chance was gone.

After 21 minutes the young reds thought they’d broken the deadlock. Collins’ clever pass sent O’Connor away down the left, and his cross found Putterill who neatly put the ball in the net. The linesman had flagged against O”Connor however, and the goal was ruled out. It was a borderline decision, but the linesman had a better view than I did to be fair.

Barnsley’s main avenue of attack was to play the ball up to the centre forward Luke Fedorenko and try to get around him for the flick ons which he was usually going to win against the reds’ small defence. On 22 minutes Fedorenko flicked on a diagonal ball from the right into the path of the left winger Loukes. From 16 yards out he shot well over the bar.

Six minutes later Fedorenko was released through the middle. He went around Roberts but as he attempted to put the ball in the net he was denied by a fine challenge from Spearing who had got back well.

The reds skipper almost undid that good work two minutes later when he got into difficulties with a low cross across the six yard box. Spearing was facing his own net, and it was a horrible ball to deal with, especially as Roberts was coming to deal with it too. For a second it looked like he would put the ball into his own net, but between them they managed to keep it out. The ball rolled out only as far as Federenko however, but Roberts made a great save to keep his shot out.

Liverpool were living dangerously at this stage, and had another let off eight minutes before the break when Butterfield hit the crossbar after a long through had caused problem in the reds’ penalty area.

It was a difficult half for John Owens’ side. They were being outmuscled all over the park, but the forwards in particular were having a really hard time of it against the physical Barnsley defenders. Parsonage had a lot of problems with the big left back, Luke Potter, who was keen to swap shirts during the game it seemed.

First he ripped Parsonage’s shirt by hauling him back, an incident missed by the referee but which pissed the reds’ winger off no end. A spot of verbals ensued, and a few minutes later the same thing happened. Again, the referee failed to act. There another incident before half time, when both players slid off the pitch trying to keep a ball in. As Parsonage tried to get to his feet, the big grock grabbed his leg to stop him getting up. There was no need for it, and it was clearly done to wind up the young red.

Collins was experiencing similar problems with his marker, the giant centre half Luke Waterfall (yes folks, the good people of Barnsley are very partial to the name ‘Luke’!). Collins was buffeted right through the first half, and in the second period he was the victim of a dangerous high challenge which left him requiring lengthy treatment.

The reds were making a good fist of the second half, and had started well. Parsonage went very close with a low shot which was turned wide by the keeper after the Barnsley defence had failed to deal with a cross from O’Connor.

Five minutes later came the reds’ best chance of the game. Barratt surged forward from midfield and played the ball wide to Collins. His cross from the left was met at the back post by Putterill, but his goalbound header struck the back of a defender’s head before bouncing off Putterill again and out for a goal kick. It was very unfortunate, and two minutes later Putterill was replaced by Johnathon Pringle. Ryan Wignall was also introduced for Parsonage.

With 66 minutes gone Barnsley had a great chance to go in front. Wignall missed a tackle in midfield and Loukes went through for a one on one with Roberts. He looked certain to score but Roberts got just enough on the shot to divert it wide.

A minute later a long ball over the top sent Pringle clear, but instead of going himself he elected to pass to Collins. The pass wasn’t the greatest, and Collins didn’t seem to be expecting it either. It sent him wide, and when he retrieved the ball he lost his footing and the chance was gone. Pringle almost made amends within seconds, when he showed good footwork on the edge of the area before blasting a left foot drive just over.

Barnsley hit back though, and Loukes smacked a shot against the post from 16 yards. At this point the game could have gone either way, but two minutes after that Barnsley scored what proved to be the decisive goal. Loukes crossed from the left, substitute Frost headed it back across goal and Fedorenko planted a free header past Roberts.

John Owens made his final change, introducing forward Michael Scott in place of left winger O’Connor, but the reds never looked like getting an equaliser and Barnsley held on comfortably.

It’s hard to be critical of the performance considering the amount of absentees. It was an extremely young, and small, Liverpool side, and it showed. Dave Roberts was the pick of the side for me, as he made some good saves, did his best to relieve the pressure on his defence by coming for as many crosses as possible.


Team: Roberts; Routledge, Spearing, Behan, Awang; Parsonage (Wignall), Barnett, Barratt, O’Connor (Scott); Putterill (Pringle), Collins: