Last U18's game of the season

[Philip Reed]

The U18's finish their season tomorrow at home to Sheffield Wednesday kick off 1pm at Shirecliffe

 

[JohnDenver]

The U18's finish their season tomorrow at home to Sheffield Wednesday kick off 1pm at Shirecliffe

Cheers I might pop along to that.

 

[Silent Blade]

How many of the current u16s are in next season's u18s squad and who are they? Is this the right time to reveal the list or we have to wait a bit later?

 

[Bergen Blade]

Cheers I might pop along to that.

Did you go JD?

 

[JohnDenver]

Did you go JD?

Sadly not - couldn't get there in time. Soz for the lack of a report!

 

[Hodgyman]

There you go. Match report from the SUFC site
http://www.sufc.co.uk/news/article/20140423-owls-report-1495824.aspx

 

[Chezzy Blades]

I see Diego was taken off at half time again, injury or tactical I wonder? Seems to have really slid down the pecking order since his time on the bench early in the year..

 

[Bergen Blade]

There you go. Match report from the SUFC site
http://www.sufc.co.uk/news/article/20140423-owls-report-1495824.aspx

Cheers. I always prefer fans' reports though. I'm not very interested in what exactly happens during U18 games. I just want to learn about the players' attributes, so I know a little about what they will offer when they get near the first team.

"Louis Reed and Joel Coustrain both had long-range efforts saved" don't tell me much, they may have been impressive or disappointing efforts. If a fan writes "did you see that hammering 30 yarder from Coustrain, he's such a tremendous striker of the ball", it tells me a lot more.

 

[Sharrowblade]

The 18s were poor in the first half, too many long balls, and they never got to grips with the lad who was playing out wide on the right for Wednesday. Their goal, you'd have to question the keeper. I know its great for defenders when the keeper comes for a high ball, but the forward was marked and Eastwood came over the top but only punched it out to the edge of the box where the lad smashed it in low into the corner. Diego showed a couple of nice touches but United were second best for much of the half, and could have been 2-0 down on the stroke of half time when their right winger again got wide and crossed for the centre forward to score, but we were saved by the linesman.

The second half was a much improved performance, with United pushing from the offset, the introduction of Jamie McDonagh for Diego really changed the game. There's a lot of talk about Diego at the moment, fall outs, injury, clubs interested, not being in the 1st team squad etc etc. Any truth in it. Who knows? To be honest, the bottom line is, I don't think he's playing well enough to warrant a regular first team squad place at the moment. In fairness he has only just come back from a bad injury, maybe there's a few distractions at the moment, I think he was upset not to be allowed to go to Switzerland recently with the Italian U19s. McDonagh's introduction allowed Coustrain to make runs off him and gave Louie Reed more time to dictate the tempo of play. United's passes became shorter and crisper and United were all the better for it. I like McDonagh, he's a good lad, broke his leg early last season, and as our old man says he's got footballer legs. Reed's cross bar banger was a cracking dipping effort, and the Wednesday keeper made a cracking a double save from a good header of Cockerline down low by his post, and then blocked the follow up. If they had scored the penalty (the lads been taking lessons from Chris Waddle, it nearly went on the road) that would have been that. Wednesday managed to keep Otis quiet for most of the time, although he did get to the byline a couple of times, he then perhaps took the wrong option. In defence United got tighter to the lad on Wednesday's right and he became quite inaffective in the second half. Cockerline kept working his socks off and got his reward with a smartly taken goal, sending a couple of Wednesday players in opposite directions in the process. Overall, probably a fair result.

 

[UnitedBlade]

I think he (Diego) was upset not to be allowed to go to Switzerland recently with the Italian U19s. .

Thanks for the report, great stuff.

I'd heard a whisper that there's been an issue over International release but United can't refuse anyone's release if a country calls (unless they are injured, of course).

He did play their last U19 friendly in early March and scored in a 1-1 draw with Germany.

I've just looked it up and it seems the Italian U18s played Switzerland at home on April 16.

It seems to me he is understandably still having injury niggles whilst he recovers. And I'm sure this is why United don't want him risking further problems in International games for the time being.

Roll on a proper pre-season and perhaps this tension will disappear.

 

[A19 byf]

Thanks for the report, great stuff.

I'd heard a whisper that there's been an issue over International release but United can't refuse anyone's release if a country calls (unless they are injured, of course).

He did play their last U19 friendly in early March and scored in a 1-1 draw with Germany.

I've just looked it up and it seems the Italian U18s played Switzerland at home on April 16.

It seems to me he is understandably still having injury niggles whilst he recovers. And I'm sure this is why United don't want him risking further problems in International games for the time being.

Roll on a proper pre-season and perhaps this tension will disappear.

The parent club can stop any player going to international games unless it's on the FIFA calendar