Goal-den boys!

Reporter: Matthew Chambers
Date published: 28 April 2015


ATHLETIC 4 MK DONS 0

TWO goals from Ben Grant and a pair of fine long-range efforts by Devante Jacobs and Callum Etches helped Athletic to completely overpower MK Dons to claim the Football League Youth Alliance Cup National final honours last night.

In front of both first-team managers Dean Holden and Karl Robinson and a healthy crowd of 754 at SportsDirect.com Park, the four goals for Tony Philliskirk’s side could have been more: the crossbar was hit three times by the home side.

But Athletic’s under-18s — for many of whom this was a swansong before leaving the club — were also indebted to goalkeeper Paul Tyson’s superb first-half penalty save on the way to a second piece of silverware in as many seasons.

Pressing high up the field against an MK Dons side refusing to do anything but play themselves into trouble from the back, Athletic were on the front foot from the off.

Jordache Walters was a constant danger with his pace and trickery, while Kabongo Tshimanga forced Tyson into his first save of note after 18 minutes, before Athletic’s captain Jack Tuohy — he and Jacobs have been offered professional terms — curled a fine effort against the crossbar.

Luke Tingey forced an outstanding low save by the towering Tyson at the other end in a half rich in flowing football, before Athletic finally broke the deadlock.

The ball from Eddie Fulwood was accurate and so was the superb header across goal by Grant.

Walters had another couple of shots for McCorkell to deal with before the visitors were given a penalty out of the blue by referee Richard Bartlett - a harsh handball call against George Edmundson.

Tyson was down to his left to turn aside Tshimanga’s spot-kick superbly.

Edmundson could have doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time when heading against the bar from inside the six-yard box. Eight minutes into the second half, Athletic finally had their two-goal cushion as Grant slotted home with his right foot.

Then the quiet Jacobs burst into action by stroking a superb free kick over the wall and into the top corner from 20 yards.

Scullion then rose majestically to head against the crossbar. And even as the rain came down heavily in the second half, the spirits among the Athletic fans wouldn’t be damped.

“We want seven” went one chant — a reference to the first team’s hammering by the same score at Stadium MK earlier this season.

Athletic turned the screw and the fourth arrived when a clever free-kick routine saw the ball laid-off for Etches, who smacked in an unstoppable right-foot drive from 30 yards.



twitter: @Matt_Chambers_