Fleetwood Town’s Under-18s played valiantly but narrowly lost out to Oldham Athletic on Saturday morning at Poolfoot Farm.

Simon Wiles’ side managed to create the first chance of the game just two minutes after kick-off through forward Harry Clarke, who pressed the Oldham defence into making an error, but his effort was saved by the opposition goalkeeper.

They then fell behind after a bit of pressure from the Latics and even though they forged a few chances in the first half, Connor Eastham was able to keep the score at 1-0 going into the break.

Oldham added a second from the penalty spot at the start of the second period, after Ryan Hand was penalised in the box, but Town came away from this with an added gear as they pressed the opposition back and forced them into making mistakes.

This is how Fleetwood pulled themselves back into the game as Clarke again was at the front of the pressing, which started the move that Will Johnson converted from close range, making the game 2-1.

Town finished the game strong and, even though they couldn’t level the scoreline before the end, it was a good learning experience for the younger players – Including Under-16 George Morrison, Kayden Hughes, and Liam Roberts – who featured in the squad due to there being eight injuries within the team.

Simon Wiles, Under-18s Coach, said: “There are lots to take from the game for our players in terms of individual development. The players are facing lots of different challenges and it’s great for us to see how they adapt and change their style of play.”