Jason Wilcox’s U18 side secured passage into the FA Youth Cup Semi-final with a 6-1 thumping of Crewe Alexandra.
Wilcox, as expected, fielded a strong lineup, buoyed by the inclusions of Celina, Angelino, Bryan, Ambrose and Barker who are all normally regulars with the EDS side.
On paper, the Blues were far superior but having beaten Arsenal in the previous round, Crewe were not to be taken lightly.
The game began quietly, but burst into life in the 8th minute when the visitors took a shock lead. After finding space outside the box, midfielder Tom Lowery hit a stunning strike which rippled the net. An absolute gem of a goal.
Yet responded almost instantly and as Brandon Barker stepped up his performance, City began to assert themselves. In the 11th minute, Barker struck a rasping free-kick which was parried around the post by visiting keeper Matthews.
The City no.11 orchestrated the next move, which led to City’s equaliser. His partnership with Angelino has blossomed in recent times and the combination led to City’s all-important leveller. Angelino soon found himself in an advanced position on the left and delivered a perfect cross for Aaron Nemane to prod home.
Things got even better for City as moments later Barker was fed on the left; he jinked to his normally unfavoured side before driving the ball across Matthews to complete a remarkable turnaround.
It could have been three by the time half-time arrived, as Boadu surged through midfield before playing in Celina, who was thwarted by Matthews.
Half-time: City 2-1 Crewe.
After weathering a bit of earlier pressure from the away side in the opening stages of the second half, the Blues then ran riot over their opponents. Denzeil Boadu found space on the edge of the area and slotted into the bottom corner for the third.
Then Barker added to his goal collection, racing clear from Ambrose’s flick on and deftly dinking the ball over Matthews to increase City’s advantage.
Bersant Celina had been in a duel of some sorts with Crewe goalkeeper Matthews and that battle continued when the City no.8 crashed a long-range effort against the crossbar with a crucial touch from the keeper.
But the Kosovan persisted and immediately netted his goal; a neat effort slid into the bottom corner.
Ambrose got in on the goalscoring act five minutes from time, and would have had a second but for the woodwork.
Full-time: City 6-1 Crewe.
All in all, a perfect response to going a goal down, with the young side treating fans to some exceptional attacking play. At the other end of the pitch, they snuffed out any attacks Crewe could construct.
The side is making great waves and should they continue in this manner, they could potentially taste Fa Youth Cup success, which would be a fantastic achievement.
