Coogans goal earns scrappy win
- Liam Coogans nets only goal of the game
- Scrappy game at Radcliffe Borough
- Very young side fielded by Frankie Bunn
A young Huddersfield Town Under-21 side won a scrappy pre-season encounter at Radcliffe Borough on a chilly July evening in Greater Manchester, with Scottish striker Liam Coogans netting the only goal of the game early in the second-half.
With six of Town’s Under-21 players out in Spain with Chris Powell’s First Team squad and a further three injured, Frankie Bunn fielded a side including five Under-18 players. A further two Under-18s were among the substitutes, with another two players under 17 years old.
On a tricky, undulating pitch, the Terriers saw plenty of the ball but struggled at times to maintain possession higher up the pitch against an opponent that was happy to defend in numbers.
Town’s Scottish first year professional striker Liam Coogans was a willing runner alongside Flo Bojaj in attack and had the first shot of the game blocked by a defender inside three minutes. Three minutes later Bojaj tested home goalkeeper Chris Cheetham with a low shot that the ‘keeper got down well to at the near post.
Radcliffe’s best chances came through errors at the back by the young Terriers, both forced and unforced. The hots from the Evo-Stik League squandered two golden opportunities just after the half hour.
First Danny Kane’s loose touch gave Tom Hulme the chance to nick the ball, only for the striker to fire over the bar from inside the area.
Moments later Radcliffe’s left winger Omar McKenzie neatly side-stepped Town full back Jacob Hanson around 15 yards out, only to drag his shot wide of Sam Guthrie’s goal.
Town regained control of the ball thereafter and created a few chances to end the half. Midfielder Sam Warde and Ronan Coughlan both hit the goalkeeper with speculative efforts, but the best came from midfielder Jamie Spencer; the Academy scholar hit a free-kick quickly goalwards from 40 yards and beat the ‘keeper, only for the ball to cannon back off the crossbar.
The Terriers did open the scoring four minutes into the second half with a well-built goal. Spencer’s great pass into the left channel was picked up by Bojaj and when Adam Porritt kept his deep cross alive, Scottish striker Liam Coogans neatly tucked away the ball from ten yards.
The inevitable substitutions came on the hour mark and disrupted the flow of the game. At one end, goalkeeper Ed Wilczynski was untroubled; at the other, substitute Rekeil Pyke curled over and Jack Boyle was lively without producing the final ball late on.
Town’s team (4-4-2 diamond):
Sam Guthrie (Ed Wilczynski, 46); Dylan Cogill, Fraser Horsfall (Harry Clibbens, 59), Danny Kane (c), Jacob Hanson; Jamie Spencer, Sam Warde, Adam Porritt (Lewis O’Brien, 67), Ronan Coughlan (Jack Boyle, 63); Liam Coogans, Flo Bojaj (Rekeil Pyke, 61)
