Under-18s from the Midlands triumph 1-4 in second round tie at the Bowl
THE Isle of Man’s under-18 footballers lost 1-4 to Staffordshire in the second round of the FA County Youth Cup at the Bowl this afternoon.
Staffs got off to the best possible start taking a 0-2 lead inside 15 minutes. Pacey striker Shaquille McDonald dispatched a cool finish to hand his side the advantage before Oliver Haywood’s shot from the edge of the area doubled the visitors’ lead.
The Manx threatened either side of the half-time break, but didn’t grab a goal back until the 79th minute when skipper Connor Gorman’s free-kick was deflected in. The hosts pressed for an equaliser to send the tie into extra time, but Staffs soaked up the pressure and struck two further goals at the death to add some gloss to the scoreline. Matthew Hardiman effectively sealed the win for the Midlands outfit in the 88th minute before man of the match McDonald grabbed a second of the game in time added on to rubber stamp his team’s advancement to the annual knock-out competition’s third round.
Full report, player ratings and more reaction in Monday’s Examiner.