U18 Team - Season 2016/17

The fixture list is out and we start with 4 away games on the bounce. [Don't know if this is because of the improvements eing made at Motspur Park] First up are Chelsea!

Here's a link to the full fixture list:

http://www.premierleague.com/news/65985

 

Some big lads in the group this season

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All start today - away v Chelsea kick off 11am

[The U16s are playing them as well]

 

The team this morning is:

Ashby-Hammond, Spence, Mundle-Smith, York, Jenz, Opoku, Felix, Harris, Pearce, Kwietniewski, Kelly

 

Chelsea 3 Fulham 2 (U18s)

Two nil down the lads pulled one back from a beautiful curling shot from Jayden Harris. That came following a terrific save by our keeper and a quick break. Steve Wigley brought on Zico Asare or Djed Spence at half time but Chelsea were making the chances and went 3-1 up on the hour.

A couple more substitutions by us, Ryan De Haviland for Reece York and Showkat Tahir for Chris Kelly, saw us get back into the game though. Jayden Harris got his second with another great curling shot and the team really pushed for that equaliser. Despite throwing everything at them Chelsea unfortunately managed to hand on.

Great performance by the lads once they got a sense of the game and no face lost, even if the points were.

 

And well done the U16s Chelsea 1 Fulham 2

 

By jingo, those goals by Jayden Harris were both absolute crackers

 

Leicester 1 Fulham 2 (U18s)

First win of the season.


and ..Leicester 1 Fulham 7 (U16s)

Cracking result to continue the winning streak.


As ever, no details from the Club as yet.

 

Still no match report from the Club. However they have posted (you have to look hard to find it on the official site) a link to the goals; one each from Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson and Jayden Harris. Here it is -

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/august/24/u18s-leicester-1-2-fulham

 

Reading 3 Fulham 2 (U18s)

They're becoming a bit of a bogey team. Our line-up today was:

Ashby-Hammond; Spence, Jenz, Mundle-Smith, Felix; Harris, York; Kelly, Kwietniewski, Elstone; Pearce

And the briest of brief report from the Club -

"Mikolaj Kwietniewski put the Whites in front with just 12 minutes played with a low shot from the edge of the box, although the home goalkeeper will feel he could have done better. Steve Wigley’s troops just about edged the first half and deserved their lead at the break, but a blitz from the Royals soon after the restart left them shell-shocked as three goals in quick succession turned the game on its head.

Isaac Pearce reduced the deficit with five minutes remaining, but an equaliser proved elusive."


PS Julian Schwarzer son of Mark, was on the bench today. And yes, he is a goalkeeper.

 

And meanwhile, our 'other' Academy team got revenge and keep banging in the goals -

Reading 3 Fulham 4 (U16s)

[Unfortunately no details from the Club.]

 

89 different players have scored goals in U18PL so far this season. Ten lead the way with 3 each, including our very own Jayden Harris

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A link (seems to have become the norm) to the goals ... no prizes to the goalies or either defence for that matter!

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/august/30/u18s-goals-reading

 

And, since our lot had little to say, a more detailed account albeit from the opposition viewpoint:


"Trailing by a goal at the break, Reading came out all guns blazing at the start of the second half – three goals in the space of a few minutes by Tyler Frost, Joel Rollinson and trialist Ben House gave the Royals a two-goal margin, which the Cottagers weren’t able to reel in despite pegging one back late on.

Under-18 manager David Dodds said: “We started the game well, we had some good little interchanges and then all of a sudden Fulham had a shot from the edge of our box and we suddenly found ourselves one-nil down. It was a bit of a blow as we’d had the better start and in the first half we had the ball in the back of their net, only for Ben House to be deemed to be offside. Then we had several more half chances, but we just couldn’t get the ball over the line. I thought we’d be winning in the first half, or at least level. I went in and had a chat with the boys about it at half time and we started the second half with more aggression than the first half. We pressed them up a little higher up the pitch and we scored three goals in ten minutes."

The first goal came as Reading were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous area, allowing 17-year-old Tyler Frost to step up and curl the ball into the far corner. A minute later, the game had been turned completely on its head. Frost, scorer of the first, turned provider this time as he curled a cross into the box where it was met by the head of Rollinson who flicked it on past the goalkeeper. The scoring spree wasn’t over yet and good team play on the 52nd minute saw trialist Ben House get on the end of a pass, shift it quickly between his feet before rifling it into the goal leaving the score at 3-1.

It was at this stage that manager David Dodds was faced with a tough decision. “We had to decide whether to try and kill them off or stay back and defend - sometimes you can get caught out between the two," he continued. “We had several good periods of play. Frost almost got another as his shot rebounded off the underside of the crossbar. Then they went for it in the last 25 minutes and with about 5 minutes to go they grabbed a second. That gave us a pretty nervous final five minutes together with injury time but we held out and got the result."


Source: http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/art...2-fulham-u18-3280398.aspx#iL8lbOVajrV9el3E.99

 

Swansea 2 Fulham 2 (U18s)

Atli Andrason made his club debut and Cameron Thompson celebrated his his first start for the team with a goal. The line-up was:

Ashby-Hammond; Mundle-Smith, Jenz, Opoko (York 68'), Felix; Harris, Asare; Kwietniewski, Andrason (Kelly 68'), Thorsteinsson; Thompson

Unused sub: Norman

The Club report yet again doesn't do the youngsters justice.

"Swansea started brightly getting the first goal of the game after 10 minutes. A through ball over the top of the Fulham back four was slotted home to put the hosts ahead. Fulham were level 13 minutes later after a low cross found the feet of Cameron Thompson who buried a low angled drive from 8 yards out. Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson then put Fulham 2-1 up with a sublime finish into the top corner of the Swansea net from an acute angle.

Swansea drew level 15 minutes from time after a swift counter attack was finished off meaning Fulham had to settle for the draw after 90 minutes."

 

A more detailed account from the opposition:


"A goal in each half from striker Liam Cullen helped Swansea City Under-18s to a 2-2 draw against Fulham at Landore in Premier League South on Saturday.
Swansea took the lead inside ten minutes as Cullen found space to fire past Fulham keeper Taye Ashbyhammond at the near post. The young Swans looked to build on their lead but chances from winger Causso Darame and full-back Mael Davies missed the target. However, the visitors built on their possession in the final third and found and equaliser in the 22nd minute when striker Cameron Thompson rifled his shot into the bottom corner.

Swansea continued to push and could have retaken the lead on the half hour mark as Keiran Evans dominating run through the midfield found Darame only for the wingers’ header to go narrowly over the bar. Fulham took the lead in the lead five minutes later as Jon Dangur Thoresteinsson fired into the roof of the net from a tight angle. The London side could have increased their advantage but Ross Treacy’s excellent block denied Thompson’s run on goal.

The Swans keeper was called into action again early in the second half as Treacy’s brave stop denied Jayden Harris netting Fulham’s third. Swansea built their attack and grew back into the game as Matthew Blake saw his powerful shot on goal palmed away by Ashby-Hammond before Dareme’s teasing cross almost found substitute Matt Roberts in the box. The Swans pressure paid off as Liam Cullen once again found space on the edge of the box to rifle an equaliser into the top corner.

Tracey kept the scores level minutes later with a low save to tip Chris Kelly’s shot around the post. Roberts had the chance for the winner only for the striker to see his shot saved by the Fulham keeper before Tracey denied saved Thorsteinsson’s powerful effort in the final minute of the game to earn the Swans a point."

 

Fulham 1 West Ham 5 (U18s)

The only good pieces of news coming out of this disappointing defeat were:

Cameron Thompson grabbed our goal to continue his scoring run and Steven Sessegnon was back with the team. Really unfair to keep saying Steven is Ryan's twin brother since the lad is more than decent in his own right. Hopefully, this is the start of a successful run after so long out with a serious injury.

The team was:

T Ashby-Hammond, Felix, Smith, Azare, Jenz, Spence, Kweiltniewski, York, Thompson, Andraeson and Thorsteinsson

Subs: L Ashby-Hammond, Pearce, Kelly and S Sessegnon


[The U16s also went down to a West Ham team. This time 4-2]


As yet no details from the Club on either game

 

Good Grief - they can't even get the score correct !!!






The Club took this post down and haven't got the gumption to re-publish a proper account, never mind apologise. Frankly the coverage of the Academy this season is beyond pitiful.

 

Norwich 0 Fulham 4 (U18s)

Great start to the day as the youngsters get back on the winnining trail. Apart from the goals the highlight was Stephen Sessegnon making his come back debut. The first score was an 'own goal' and the others were from Cameron Thompson (again), Jaydn Mundle-Smith and Mikki Kwietniewski.

Rushing now to get organised to head out to the Cottage. Team news and, ever hopeful, a match report from the Club later.

 

The team was:

Ashby-Hammond; Felix, Jenz, Opoku, Mundle-Smith; Kwietniewski, York (S. Sessegnon 60'), Andrason, Thorsteinsson; Pearce (Santos-Clase 85'), Thompson (Kelly 72')

Unused sub: Norman

And golly gosh the Club have posted a report, although one wonders why if this is the extent of their reporting abilities:

"Steve Wigley’s boys went in front with less than quarter of an hour played when Owen Wallis put the ball into his own net, a lead that was doubled two minutes later when Cameron Thompson hit his third goal in as many games.

Midway through the first half it was effectively game over as Jaydn Mundle-Smith got forward from left-back to make it three, before Mikolaj Kwietniewski – who at 17 is one of the more senior players in the side – wrapped things up with quarter of an hour left to play."