The Imps Under 18 side recently handed out a sound beating to local rivals Scunthorpe United, a result which could have strong first team implications.
After brushing aside The Iron in the first meeting back in September, hopes would have been high for a good result; going into the game the U18s had won four on the spin, including wins against Doncaster (2-1), Burton (4-0), Huddersfield (2-1) and Rotherham (5-1). Earlier in the season, The Imps put five past Scunthorpe, with Mekhi Angol, Oisin Gallagher and Billy Brooks all on the scoresheet. It must have been a case of deja vu for the shell-shocked Scunthorpe team, who saw the same players net at Appleby Frodingham this weekend.
Three goals in 28 first-half minutes killed the tie off, with Gallagher opening the scoring on ten minutes. Mekhi Angol, formerly on the books of Luton Town, put away a second fifteen minutes later to double the advantage. Another Irish import, Bobby Deane, bagged the third seven minutes before the break to kill the game off. Nine minutes after the restart, Billy Brooks grabbed a fourth for the Imps, before a late Harrison Poulter consolation for the home side.
Speaking to the club’s official site, head coach Ash Foyle said; “It was horrendous pitch conditions at Appleby Frodingham, but the lads adapted really well and still played some excellent football at times. We were on the front foot and aggressive without the ball which is what we want to look like. We controlled the game throughout but we’re very disappointed with the goal we conceded and the fact that we allowed some sloppiness and poor decision-making creep into the game in the last 15 minutes, albeit with multiple U16s being brought on to the pitch.”
The win leaves City top of the table, with 27 points from 13 matches. Grimsby are nestled in second, three points behind but with two games in hand, level on points with Bradford City, who have also played two fewer than the Imps. There’s a big drop off to the fourth-placed team, Burton Albion, who have played the same as the Imps but are already ten points adrift.
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