Fleetwood Town’s Under-18s finished off their pre-season preparations with a brilliant performance throughout their 3-0 win over TNS at Poolfoot Farm on Saturday morning.
In what was a competitive game, with good football on show throughout, it started out as an even encounter as TNS looked to control the ball a bit more than our young Cods, but they reacted well and found a way to stop them early on.
This change in how the Under-18s approached the opposition led to the first goal of the day as Crispin McLean played the ball out wide to Dom Richmond – who netted a hat-trick in the game before – and he cut inside his marker before firing the opener past the keeper.
Coach Mark Yeates thought a second could have come before the break, but even after chances were created it wasn’t meant to be in the first half.
Tactical changes came next with Hermann Daha, Harry Elmore, and Josh Eccles all coming on in place of Trialist B, Conor Haughey, and Richmond and the tempo in the play rose as they came out the blocks the better side.
Two quickfire goals put the game out of sight for the visitors as Bosembo Namputu pressed well up the field and played a non-selfish square ball into the path of Daha, who was able to tap home to make it 2-0.
Defender Rafaele Cirino added to this soon after as he latched onto a loose ball in the opposition’s half, after making a good run upfield, and tried his luck by trying to lob the goalkeeper from range, and that’s exactly what he did.
The young Cods showed good game management after this as they looked to round out the fixture with a clean sheet – which they did – as they already have one eye on Saturday’s league opener against Watford at Poolfoot Farm.
Town XI: Bellizia (GK), Cirino, Trialist A, Butterworth, Haughey (Eccles 46’), Trialist B (Elmore 46’), Richmond (Daha 46’), Namputu, Lane (C), McLean, Roberts.
Unused subs: Slater, Smith, J.Doherty.