Defeat in the EFL Youth Alliance League on Wednesday
- Huddersfield Town Under-19s defeated by Grimsby Town
- Young Terriers lose 3-1 on the east coast
- Top scorer Hazeem Bakre (pictured) nets his fifth of the season
The Huddersfield Town Under-19s put in a mixed performance in defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town in the EFL Youth Alliance League on Wednesday afternoon.
A below-par first-half performance, which gave way to an improved second 45 minutes, made for a frustrating day for coach George Danaher and his Young Terriers, who couldn’t quite maintain their recent good form.
Town were without centre back Archie Sheppard and winger Fope Deru for the game, who have both joined Bury AFC on work experience, but were supplemented by the likes of Donay O’Brien-Brady, Michael Stone, and Conor Falls starting.
The Mariners started well and had the first dangerous attempt of the game inside the quarter hour mark when the winger drove into space and hit a low shot wide of Michael Acquah’s far post.
Grimsby got good numbers behind the ball as Town started to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, forcing the Young Terriers to play around them or into the likes of Stone and Hakeem Sandah between the lines. Those two players combined to create our first real effort in the 24th minute, sliding left back Ajay Weston into the area – he tested the goalkeeper with a low, side-footed effort.
Skipper Tom Iorpenda found Sandah on the half-turn two minutes later as Town built momentum, and Hakeem was unlucky to see his right-footed shot flash inches wide of the far post.
Then, just as the Terriers were in the ascendancy, an error in possession gave Grimsby the lead. Centre back Michael Parker had a good game but saw his pass out of defence intercepted by a striker, who steadied himself before firing home at extremely close range.
Grimsby doubled the advantage in the 34th minute when the right winger went on the outside of Weston and hammered in a cross, which struck midfielder Dan Vost and dropped straight to a striker – he span and smashed the ball home from inside the six-yard box.
Weston and Stone fired efforts off target soon after but couldn’t reduce the arrears before the interval.
However, Town did get back in the game with a 52nd minute goal. Top scorer Hazeem Bakre emerged from the bench to score it, but the move started with Stone finding Weston on the Town left. The centre back probably should have cut out Ajay’s low cross, but Bakre deserves credit for getting in exactly the right area to capitalise on the missed clearance to convert.
The Grimsby ‘keeper made a great, full length save to keep out Iorpenda’s curling effort as the Terriers looked for an equaliser, but it was the home side that scored the all-important next goal in the 68th minute to put the game to bed.
Danaher’s side tried to fight back, with substitute Tyree Sanusi going closest, but the home side also carried a threat on the break as the game progressed, with Michael Acquah and the woodwork preventing another concession.
The Under-19s are back in action on Saturday with a midday kick-off at Walsall.
Town’s team (4-2-3-1)
Michael Acquah; Joseph Johnson, Freddie Fletcher, Michael Parker, Ajay Weston (Omari Mrisho, 71’); Daniel Vost (Dylan Helliwell, 71’), Tom Iorpenda (c); Donay O’Brien-Brady (Tyree Sanusi, 46’), Michael Stone (Temi Okuwa, 71’), Hakeem Sandah; Conor Falls (Hazeem Bakre, 46’)
Goal
Hazeem Bakre (52’)
Bookings
Joseph Johnson (39’); Hakeem Sandah (90+1’)
