Watford U18 1-0 Sunderland U18
Safc.com’s Sam Lightle reviews the third round FA Youth Cup action from Vicarage Road this afternoon.
OVERVIEW
Sunderland under-18s exited the FA Youth Cup following defeat to Watford in round three of the competition at Vicarage Road.
Lewis Gordon scored the game’s only goal after the Black Cats were reduced to 10 men when Rayed Derbali was dismissed with just 26 minutes on the clock.
Jake Hackett struck the post before Lee Connelly saw his close-range effort chalked off for offside as Sunderland looked to mount a comeback.
But Watford held off the Black Cats’ late onslaught to advance to round four where they will face Blackburn Rovers away.
CUP SELECTION
Jack Diamond dropped down from the unde-23 ranks to start for Mark Atkinson’s side in Hertfordshire. Scottish striker Lee Connelly led the line while Swedish youngster Benji Kimpioka and Williams Kokolo went into the match on the back of a sickness bug which had hampered the Black Cats’ preparations. Bali Mumba, still an under-16, also started for the youth team.
OUT TO ATTACK
Having ended the year with three wins from five, Sunderland headed south looking to pick up where they left off in 2017 with a place in round four up for grabs. Watford began the game on the front foot, and forced a save from Anthony Patterson on five minutes when he turned away Ryan Cassidy’s effort off a short corner from Harry Forster. Sunderland struck back with their first attempt moments later, Diamond slipped his way past the Hornets’ grasp before Connelly’s effort flashed wide. The high octane opening to the match continued as the Black Cats struggled to claw Forsters’ cross away, allowing Reece Miller, Ben Jones and Cassidy the chance to get their shots away.
DOWN TO 10
Cassidy was proving to be a real handful for Sunderland to keep a lid on, and with 26 minutes played the Black Cats’ afternoon took a turn for the worst when Derbali was dismissed for a pull-back on the pacey frontman as he broke clear on goal. That left Atkinson’s side right up against it, and with the half-time whistle still a way off the hosts seized their chance to punish Sunderland. Gordon played a neat one-two with Miller before sliding the ball home from 15 yards to give the Hornets the lead with 36 minutes played. Mumba led Sunderland’s fightback before the break, but his fizzed effort from 25 yards crashed into the stand behind the goal as Watford held their slender advantage at the midway interval.
BACK FOOT
With a goal lead and a man advantage, Watford raced out the traps to really force Sunderland onto the back foot. Cassidy flashed the first effort of the half a fraction wide just 30 seconds in before Yazid Kaikay drew a stop from Patterson with his angled drive. Harry Hudson was then wasteful as he spurned his header wide from Forster’s corner. Jake Hackett rallied back for Sunderland and thumped a thunderous effort from 30 yards off the post, Connelly reacted quickest to stab home but the linesman halted celebrations with a raised flag. It was the closest the Black Cats had come to a leveller, but they were unable to build on that as Cassidy continued to toy with the visitors.
LIFELINE FROM THE SPOT
Cassidy moved free of the Black Cats’ defence, received Reece Miller’s pass but saw his effort cleared off the line before Ben Jones also saw his effort rebound clear of the line from the resultant corner. Sunderland began to push numbers forward as they pressed for the all-important leveller, but with 62 minutes on the clock the Hornets were presented with the perfect chance to put the game to bed from the penalty spot. Reece Stray was the man brought down inside the area, and he dusted himself down to take it only for Patterson to pull off a fine save to keep the Black Cats in the tie.
LATE SURGE
Time was against the Black Cats as each second ticked by, Robbie Dunne fashioned a header from a corner but Jamie Lacy and goalscorer Gordon combined to deal with the danger as Sunderland ramped up the pressure in the closing stages. But the hosts held it together and saw the tie out to book their place in round four of the FA Youth Cup, with an away trip to Blackburn Rovers up next.
Watford: Lacy, Jones, Tricker, Hudson, Empson, Forster, Stray, Kaikay, Gordon, Miller, Cassidy
Subs: Leighton, Hoskins, Adedji, Sesay, Cruz Cabrera
Sunderland: Patterson, Howard, Young, Derbali, Kokolo, Hickey, Mumba, Hackett (Scothern), Diamond, Connelly, Kimpioka (Dunne)
Subs: Devine, Leonard, Newman