Southampton’s
youngsters secured a comprehensive victory over their Reading counterparts in a
seven goal thriller, on a crisp evening at Adams Park. Harrison Reed struck
early, before an immediate reply from Rowan Liburd. Saints then added two
goals, as Sam McQueen and Ryan Seager got in on the act, before Reed knocked
the ball past his own ‘keeper to give the Royals hope of a comeback. This was
extinguished in the second period though, as Jake Hesketh notched a brace to
send Southampton to the summit of Division One.
As the fog descended on Adams Park from the
surrounding hills, the players came out of the tunnel to applause from the few
hundred in attendance. Among the young players coming onto the pitch was Ryan
Bertrand – getting some vital minutes under his belt before returning to first-team
action. The England international made himself known in the early stages, as
the game started at a frenetic pace. As Reading tried to roll the ball out to
Lisandro Semedo on the right side, the left-back slid through the back of the
winger to the irk of the few home fans present who were baying for blood. Referee
Dean Leach concluded that a booking would be the appropriate punishment.
Southampton then went on the offensive as Reading gave the ball away cheaply.
The red and white shirts flew forward; Seager controlled a poor forward pass
before sending Reed into the right
side of the box. He fired a shot across goal that went into the net via the
post, despite a touch from ‘keeper Lewis Ward. There was an instant response
from the Royals. Southampton were unable to clear their lines after a corner,
and Conor Shaughnessy hooked the ball over his shoulder to Liburd who pounced to powerfully head the ball home off the
underside of the bar. Southampton came straight back at the Berkshire side
though. Seager found himself through on goal, but his low effort was superbly blocked
by Ward. Yet Saints were not to be denied moments later, as they had a succession
of corners that tested their hosts. Initially, it seemed that Southampton had a
stonewall penalty appeal as Andrija Novakovich turned the ball behind with his
hand, but the referee only pointed for a corner. Bertrand nearly scored
directly from the quadrant, however it was scrambled away by Ward. From the
subsequent set-piece from captain Dominic Gape, the ball bounced around in the
penalty area, before McQueen lashed
it into the roof of the net. Southampton started to take the game to Reading
and added a third shortly afterwards. Gape sent a low free-kick from the left channel
into Seager, who ran to the near post and stooped expertly to flick a looping
header into the far corner. Yet Reading’s youngsters were not to fall away, and
the game saw its fifth goal despite being less than 30 minutes old. As he did frequently
throughout the match, Novakovich went on an excellent weaving run, as he beat
two players down the left side of the area, before rolling the ball back across
the box where the unfortunate Reed turned
the ball past the Saints stopper, Harry Isted. The Royals were close to finding
parity moments later. As a ball came in from the right wing, Liburd rose to head
it towards goal, however on this occasion, Isted was able to get a fingertip to
the striker’s effort to prevent an equaliser. It was a genuine end-to-end encounter
in Buckinghamshire, and Southampton had a couple of opportunities to extend
their advantage before the break. Josh Sims did well to deliver a low cross
from the left which was thumped towards goal by McQueen, but Ward pushed the shot
away, before denying Seager on the rebound. Although McQueen did not stop there
as he attempted to grab his second of the evening. Cutting inside from the
right, he curled the ball with his left foot but it drifted wide of the post.
Saints Under-21s boss Martin Hunter made one
change before the restart as he decided that Bertrand had enjoyed a satisfactory
runout. Josh Debayo replaced the first teamer. The visitors made an instant
impact in the second period. Sims jinked his way down the left before causing
confusion in the Reading box with his sidefooted cross. The ball was slid away
from the onrunning Seager, but Hesketh
was not be denied as he adjusted his body well to finish past the stranded
Ward. Sims’ creative runs down the left were a feature throughout the second
half, as he constantly troubled right-back Sean Long. His final product was
also of good quality as Seager was unlucky not to add to his account. He was
ably supported by Debayo in the second half, who attacked at the appropriate moment
while demonstrating positional ability to cut off any offensive threat from
Reading’s right side. Meanwhile, in the middle of the park, Saints began to run
the game in a professional manner, as they strived to keep their two goal
cushion. Reed was habitually fierce in the tackle and added bite to the
midfield while Gape played a pivotal role, as he exhibited real composure. There
was one moment of doubt from the spine of the team though, as Liburd managed to
run clean through on goal, but blazed his shot over the bar. Yet, the final
goal of the evening did come from the engine room. Reed sent the ball forward to
Seager who flicked the ball onto Hesketh
in the No 10 slot. He beat a Reading challenge on the edge of the box, and
rifled a low shot into the corner. Hesketh and Seager’s chemistry was something
else that was evident throughout the contest. The two played off each other
well as the Royals defence was unable to cope with their superior movement.
From that moment on, Southampton controlled the remainder of the encounter, but
lacked any real attacking threat. Bevis Mugabi did send a shot towards the top
corner with the outside of his right boot, however Ward pushed the ball behind.
Olufela Olomola and Lloyd Isgrove came
on for Seager and McQueen in the latter stages. McQueen also impressed in his
role on the right wing. Comfortable either cutting in on his stronger left foot
or going down the outside, he was a real menace on the wing. Some of his
crosses were not successful in finding a man, but he was a vital part of the
cohesive attacking unit. Reading may have been poor defensively (as were
Southampton in the first half), but it is apparent that Saints are a real force
to contend with at this level.
Man
of the Match
Dominic
Gape: Gape
was a central figure in Southampton’s triumph as he pulled the strings in midfield.
Comfortable in possession while not shying away from a tackle, the captain gave
an assured and mature performance. Moreover, he also showed his ability from a
set-piece, as two of his deliveries resulted in goals.
Teams
and Ratings
Reading Under-21s
Ward
6 – Long 6, Hyam 5, Sweeney (C) 5, Griffin 6 – Semedo 6 (Rinomhota 68’ 5),
Kelly 5, Shaughnessy 6, Fosu 6 – Novakovich 7, Liburd 7
Goals:
Liburd (9’), Reed O.G. (26’)
Southampton Under-21s
Isted
6 – Mugabi 7, McCarthy 6, Wood 5, Bertrand 6 (Debayo 45’ 7) – Gape (C) 8, Reed 7
– McQueen 7 (Isgrove 89’ N/A), Hesketh 8, Sims 7 – Seager 7 (Olomola 87’ N/A)
Bookings:
Bertrand, Debayo
Goals:
Reed (7’), McQueen (21’), Seager (24’), Hesketh (46’, 69’)
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