Youngsters hit back to book place in final

GOALS from Carl Winchester, David Mellor, Ryan Burns and Jack Laird sent Athletic's under-18s through to the northern final of the Football League Youth Alliance Cup, where they will face Darlington on an as-yet unspecified date.

It was anything but plain sailing for Tony Philliskirk's boys, who had to recover from 2-0 down against Macclesfield before finally overpowering their opponents.

At 2-0 down shortly before the interval, Ryan Burns and Kyle Riley had both struck the frame of goal before Winchester slotted home to halve the deficit as the teams changed ends.

Having made a return to the side following a knee injury, Winchester was taken off at the break as a precautionary measure with Laird emerging onto the field.

Mellor brought the scores level with a peach of a 25-yard shot with his left foot and Athletic were ahead for the first time when Laird squared for Burns to fire home.

Despite some Macclesfield pressure, Laird made the game safe for Athletic when his shot squirmed under the body of the goalkeeper.

Athletic's youngsters face league games against Rochdale today and Tranmere on Saturday.