FA County Youth Cup: Isle of Man 3-0 Lancashire
ISLE OF MAN FA 3-0 LANCASHIRE FA
FA County Youth Cup - Round Two
Saturday 28th October, 1.30pm KO
Lancashire's U18 Representative side have been knocked out of the FA County Youth Cup by the Isle of Man.
The squad made the long trip to the Bowl in Douglas determined to progress in the competition but, despite an encouraging performance, were not clinical enough in front of goal.
The opening 20 minutes saw the visitors move the ball around the 3G pitch well, as Sope Awe and Daniel Gray both had chances inside the opening 10 minutes.
But the Isle of Man soon upped the tempo as Cameron Allison was forced into action to deal with two quick-fire shots on his goal.
Louis Barrow almost put Lancashire in front with a header on the 25th minute, before the hosts snatched the lead themselves three minutes later.
A right-sided free kick led to a goalmouth scramble and Isle of Man striker Johnny Quirk, in the midst of the mountain of bodies, directed the ball home from close range.
Barrow then drew a good save from opposition 'keeper James Rice following a good pass by Gray, but it wasn't long before the Isle of Man had doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.
Seven minutes before the interval, Jay Skelcher-Maxwell stepped up to fire his side 2-0 in front after Sidney Batty had been fouled in the area.
Within one minute of the second half, Ryan Moore won and delivered a free-kick which was saved by Rice, yet Lancashire were soon facing an even bigger deficit.
Quick, who was a danger to Lancashire's back line all match, shrugged off his marker to head home Jacob Crook's cross on the 49th minute, bagging a brace for himself in the process.
The visitors continued to press, as Connor Smith moved into midfield from right back and coach Alan Williams made some late changes.
However, the Isle of Man were more than comfortable and managed the remainder of the game to progress to the next round of the cup.
It was an improved performance for Lancashire than their loss to Cheshire two weeks previously, and the scoreline at the Bowl didn't necessarily reflect their efforts, but their opponents were sharp up front and deserved the win.
Report by Bill Yates
Lancashire FA Starting XI: Allison, Smith, O'Mahoney, Winterburn, Barrow, Pope, Gray (c), Webster, Moore, Awe, Strong
Lancashire FA Subs: Muir, Broomes, Wainwright
Next up, Lancashire host Liverpool FA in the AoNC Youth Division Two on Tuesday 21st November, 7.30pm kick-off.
