A number of First Team players start for Town’s Elite Development Team
- Town’s EDT have winning start to Central League Cup campaign
- Josh Koroma (2), Reece Brown, Kian Harratt and Demeaco Dunahey on target
- Five First Team players started this afternoon
Huddersfield Town’s Elite Development Team put in a dominant display to defeat Shrewsbury Town 5-1 in the Central League Cup at PPG Canalside.
Goals from Reece Brown and Josh Koroma (2) put the Young Terriers into a commanding 3-0 lead ahead of the hour mark, before Luke McCormick responded for the visitors.
Dean Whitehead’s side added the gloss on a fine result with late strikes from Kian Harratt – who was making his first appearance following a long injury lay-off – and right-back Demeaco Duhaney.
Town set the pattern of the game early on; controlling the majority of the possession and preventing their opponents from troubling the back four with some relentless pressing high up the field.
The youngsters managed to fashion their first opening inside 10 minutes. Koroma, who was a constant menace down the left, fed Matty Daly in space on the right but he saw his powerful effort saved well by Sam Agius.
The home side continued to dominate and went close to breaking the deadlock when Kit Elliott saw his effort beat the goalkeeper, but not the covering defender on the line.
Town eventually made their pressure pay 11 minutes before the interval. Brown received the ball on the edge of the Shrewsbury area, drove into the heart of the defence and powered home into the bottom corner for his third goal in two EDT games.
Once the Young Terriers found their first, the floodgates opened. Brown this time turned the provider, feeding Koroma in behind the defence. He used his blistering pace to get their first and calmly stroked the ball beyond the desperate dive of the away side’s ‘keeper.
Eight minutes into the second half, Koroma added his second and Town’s third of the afternoon. He and left-back Sam Sharrock-Peplow exchanged passes down the flank, before he drove into the area and curled into the far corner.
It was not all plain sailing, however, when Luke McCormick fired home a consolation from distance after the hosts had lost possession in a dangerous area of the field.
Town refused to let the concession of a goal affect them and almost immediately restored their three-goal deficit. A fine double save from Agius denied both Elliott and Koroma, before Rarmani Edmonds-Green stabbed over from the resulting corner.
13 minutes from time, the Young Terriers did manage to find a fourth. With his first touch following his introduction from the bench, young striker Harratt headed home a Koroma cross.
Whitehead’s men then put the icing on the cake just moments before the final whistle as Koroma added his second assist of the day, cutting back to right-back Duhaney who found the bottom corner with ease.
Huddersfield Town’s EDT line-up (4-2-3-1)
Joel Coleman; Sam Sharrock-Peplow (Ilounga Pata 79’), Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Mustapha Olagunju, Demeaco Duhaney; Reece Brown, Scott High ©; Josh Koroma, Matty Daly, Josh Austerfield (Aaron Rowe 62’); Kit Elliott (Kian Harratt 76’)
Unused sub
Jacob Chapman
Final score
Huddersfield Town EDT 5-1 Shrewsbury Town
Scorers
Reece Brown (34’), Josh Koroma (38’, 53’), Kian Harratt (76’), Demeaco Duhaney (88’)
