Brief match report for those who are interested.
As already outlined, Wednesday had the much more experienced side out with Abdi, Matias and Joao named in the starting 11. No George Hirst for them (presumably on young England duty). We also had youngsters on international duty (Parkhouse, Norrington-Davies and one other I think).
We’ve recently featured fringe players like Lavery, Thomas, Heneghan etc. in our 23 teams but this was a very young blades side. The only player to have played any senior “competitive” football was Regan Slater who featured in a meaningless Checkatrade game against Grimsby last season.
We started quite brightly and got it down and payed some nice stuff setting up much like the first team do (with a slight twist as Hallam and Greaves appeared to be just off Smith rather than 1 behind 2 up top). The back 3 was Ferguson, Cantrill and Graham. Slater and Gilmour in midfield and I think it was Doherty and one other (I forget the name) as the wing backs. Graham was by far our biggest player and still a good 4 or 5 inches smaller than the pigs’ giant centre half (Nielson). The size difference between the teams was startling. We had a very small team out there. 2 of our back 3, Ferguson and Cantrill, look tiny for centre halves. Tyler Smith was full of lively running up front but along with Hallam, was bullied out by their giants for long periods.
Zoao looked the most likely to score all game often twisting and turning on the edge of the box (sometimes hesitating when he should have got a shot off). I think this lad has some real raw potential though. I wouldn’t mind us snapping him up as I think with some of Wilder and Knill’s magic dust sprinkled on him, he could be a real player. Cantrill stuck to him manfully but the size difference meant it was difficult for him. They had a few efforts at goal one just over, one just wide and one well saved by Warhurst diving to his left to palm away. We’d gone close cutting in from the right once before and the goal came from the same side. Our player (I don’t know who- down the other end- maybe Doherty?) controlled a ball down the right channel beautifully taking out 2 porky defenders with his first touch, he raced into the area and squared for SMITH who slotted the ball into the bottom corner from close range. It was a well worked goal.
Throughout the game though, Wednesday’s size and strength was telling and they enjoyed a territorial advantage as we struggled to make it stick up front whereas Zhoao for them was bringing the ball down and causing problems. It told early in the 2nd half as a cross came over from the left and Zhoao stole a march on his marked to sidefoot home from about 6 yards leaving Warhurst with no chance.
Wednesday had the momentum now and Matias was seeing a lot of the ball down the left. He brought a smart save out of Warhurst with a thunderous long range drive. Not long after, from a corner, the pigs were in front. The cross was headed more up than out and dropped kindly for ABDI who hit a sweetly struck volley from inside the area. Warhurst got down quickly and got a hand on it but could only push it into the side of his net.
We brought the trialist from Peterborough on for a bit more physical presence. He tried to compete for aerial balls but was still about 6 inches shorter than the giant pig centre half. We put them under some pressure late on putting a lot of crosses into their box but we just never looked like winning a header such was the size difference. It was just a case of hoping a 2nd ball dropped kindly like it did for their 2nd. It didn’t and Wednesday saw the game out without being too troubled.
Still, it was a decent effort from a very young blades side against a much bigger, stronger, more experience Wednesday outfit. The 3 senior pros they included cost more than our entire first team starting 11 combined whilst we didn’t have one senior player out there. It was literally a team full of teenagers. And I’ve since read that some of them had played earlier that day too. A decent effort all things considered.
It’s the first time I’ve seen one of our young teams for quite a while and my overall impression was that we have some good footballers and we play the “right way” (much like the first team). However, for a chunk of them to make it at senior level, I think we need some to grow and fill out significantly. We are very small and lightweight which is to be expected considering the average age of the squad. Even the youngsters in the pigs side though were loads bigger than ours. They seem to go for the physique over technical ability and we have gone the other way which I don’t have a problem with but as I say, we are probably gambling on a few late growth spurts. Greaves showed some nice flashes of skill but size and strength meant he was often knocked off the ball. Graham is the only really physically developed player in the side. He’s a big strong lad who is reasonably mobile and did the basics of defending well. Cantrill looks tiny for a centre half but I thought he read the game well and did the Jake Wright sweeper job admirably for one so young. But the player who probably impressed me the most was Keenan Ferguson. Appeared to be a right footer playing on the left of the back 3. Again, small for a centre half but I was really impressed with the way he brought the ball out from the back as he went on a couple of great marauding runs forward. Looked comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas and was pretty quick. Again, he’ll need to grow to make it as a centre half but if he doesn’t, he might still have the makings of a good full back/ wing back.
