Line-up: - Jack Beresford, Harvey Green, Archie Hubert, Connor Crane, Jack McLeavy, Max Crane , MacKenzie Travis, Owen Lavery, Stan Horne, Liam Shaw, Warren Buckman
Subs:- Nathan Atkinson, Ryan Oates-Moore, Charlie Atkin, Krzystof Michta and Keagan Hoque

It was clear from the outset that this wasn’t going to be a game for the purists with players from the visitors repeatedly contesting every decision that they didn’t agree with. No better example of this than when the U23s were awarded a penalty and the referee was surrounded by seven protesting players. Unfortunately, in their eyes, justice was done as the penalty was saved. Further evidence, if it were needed, came shortly afterwards when the referee sent one of the visiting players to the Sin Bin amid protests. Midway through the half Max Crane was forced off with an injury to be replaced by Nathan Atkinson. Up to this point the game had been fairly evenly contested with the home side playing the better football but lacking composure in front in the final third. The main threat from KPR had been a Danny Cunningham free kick which rebounded to safety off the wall. With a player of Danny’s ability you cannot afford to give him a second chance but that’s exactly what happened on the half hour. This time his kick from a similar position just outside the penalty area beat the despairing dive of Jack Beresford to put the visitors one up., which is how it remained to the break.

Half Time: U23s 0 – 1 Kings Park Rangers

The second half was barely ten minutes old when Charlie Atkin replaced Jack McLeavy and shortly afterwards Cliff Akurang replaced Ollie Sims for KPR. The U23s best chance of the half came about 30 minutes into it when Charlie Atkin did well to hold the ball up close to the corner flag before laying the ball back to Stan Horne who cut in to the edge of the penalty area but sent his shot wide of the far post. This let off seemed to inspire the visitors who made the most of a fortunate rebound to force the ball into the net and then bring two good saves out of jack in the home goal. The first he dived low to his left to turn, substitute, Cliff Akurang’s shot around the post. The second was a reaction save of Jamie Curaton’s flick. Having replaced MacKenzie Travis with Krzystof Michta earlier in the half Neil brought on Ryan Oates-Moore and Keagan Hoque for Harvey Green and Warren Buckman as the game moved into its final stages. It was only in the closing fifteen minutes after they had scored that KPR put the U23s under any sustained pressure but it was a break out from a visiting attack that saw Keagan Hoque advance on the KPR goal only to fire his shot over the bar. That proved to be the last meaningful act of the game.

Full Time: U23s 0 – 2 Kings Park Rangers

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