Deru scores in excellent game on Merseyside
- Liverpool 2-1 Huddersfield Town B
- An excellent test for a young B Team side
- Winger Fope Deru (pictured) scores the Town goal
A youthful Huddersfield Town B side enjoyed an excellent test against hosts Liverpool in the latest game of the season on Saturday morning, and can count themselves unlucky to come away empty-handed.
The young side, led by Academy coaches George Danaher and Michael Tonge, included five starters who are still eligible for our Under-19 side, with one – winger Fope Deru – scoring the goal that did draw the Young Terriers level in the game at one stage.
Town had the first shot of the game inside the sixth minute after good work in the build-up from winger Joseph Johnson, but the tame left-footed effort from the otherwise excellent Tom Iorpenda went wide.
Unsurprisingly the Reds enjoyed a lot of possession, but Town kept a good shape and did carry a constant threat on the counter. The next chance of note came our way again in the 16th minute when Donay O’Brien-Brady, who has just returned from a loan spell with Hyde United, collected a forward pass from Shane Maroodza, turned goalwards and tested the goalkeeper with a low drive from 20 yards.
Liverpool took the lead four minutes later through a superbly taken free-kick from around 25 yards after a foul by Omari Mrisho, with the precision giving our ‘keeper Michael Acquah little chance.
That goal buoyed Liverpool and Acquah was soon needed to pull off a fantastic save to keep the score at 1-0. A home corner was knocked back across goal at the far post and it looked a certain second when a man in the middle hooked the ball goalwards, but Acquah flung himself to the left to claw the ball off the line.
Town fought back and had another decent effort just after the half hour when O’Brien-Brady seized upon a loose touch from an opponent to poke the ball into the path of striker Conor Falls, who stung the palms of the goalkeeper with a shot as he entered the penalty area.
The men in black were fortunate to see a Liverpool effort roll just wide of Acquah’s left hand post soon after, but they then had one huge chance to pull level before the interval. Left back Maroodza’s cross found Johnson at the back post and he pulled the ball back to Deru, but he fired over on his left foot from around 12 yards out.
However, Fope didn’t have to wait long to make amends as he equalised in the 52nd minute. Midfielder Dan Vost, playing at centre half, won the ball from an opposing striker in strong fashion just inside his own half and the loose ball fell to O’Brien-Brady, who timed a through-pass perfectly for Deru to race onto and finish low to the goalkeeper’s left side one-on-one.
The game was in the balance after the equaliser, with Falls sending another shot just too close to the ‘keeper before Acquah had to block a shot from a narrow angle, but it was Liverpool who scored the game’s decisive goal. Centre back David Adewoju was caught trying to dribble the ball out of defence and the Reds made him pay, switching the ball to our right before converting a low cross in the six yard box.
Town responded in spirited fashion, but the best chance we could muster was another Falls snapshot that the goalkeeper dealt with comfortably.
Town’s team (4-2-3-1)
Michael Acquah; Omari Mrisho, Daniel Vost, David Adewoju (c), Shane Maroodza (Sonny Whittingham, 80’); Sonny Whittingham (Freddie Fletcher, 61’), Tom Iorpenda; Joseph Johnson, Donay O’Brien-Brady, Fope Deru; Conor Falls
Town goal
Fope Deru (52’)
