Luke turns it round as youth team show penalty claws

PUSH COMES TO SHOVE: Athletic’s Tomos Jones is pressured in last night’s FA Youth Cup tie.

ATHLETIC 1 MACCLESFIELD 1

(Athletic win 6-5 on penalties AET)
LUKE Simpson went from villain to hero as Athletic made it through to a plum tie in the FA Youth Cup.

The 17-year-old goalkeeper let a shot from Macclesfield substitute Darnell Smith squirm through his hands in extra time, as the visitors took a lead which seemed set to take them through to a third-round test at Norwich City.

Athletic equalised from the spot when Joel Swift needlessly handled in the penalty area, Kyle Riley coolly stroking home.

The subsequent penalty shoot-out entered sudden death and Simpson made a save from James Bolton to earn the under-18s passage to the third round at Carrow Road.

“We had clear-cut chances we failed to take and that has been the story of our season,” said Athletic’s head of youth Tony Philliskirk, who fielded a team featuring six first-year scholars.

“I was really pleased for Luke at the end. He made his mistake for their goal, but he is mentally very strong and he showed that to end up something of a hero.”

A scrappy opening half saw few chances created for either side.

Impressive Athletic defender Glen Belezika created havoc in flicking on a series of Danny Gosset corners, but the game was goalless as the teams changed ends.

Gosset hit an upright with a corner and at the other end, Swift did likewise with Simpson well beaten.

Fleet-footed winger Chris Sutherland and Jack Laird forced Macclesfield ’keeper Andrew Mills into a pair of good saves and Athletic centre-back Alex Parkes was forced into an incredible goal-line clearance from Swift’s shot.

After the visitors’ opening goal in extra time, Parkes almost sent Athletic out with an awful overhit back pass which beat Simpson before somehow bouncing over the crossbar.

But successful penalties by Jack Laid, Luke Wandless, Sam Fitzgerald, Riley, Parkes and Tomos Jones, allied to two Simpson saves, gave Athletic victory.