Tom Wingate and Aidan Evans grabbed the goals as Fulham’s under 18s bounced back from successive defeats to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 in Walsall this afternoon.
Ali Melloul altered his starting line-up following the Premier League Cup exit at Derby County and a narrow defeat by ten-man West Ham United, with fifteen year-old Kyle Grant making his under-18s debut on the left wing and Marcell Hall getting through more than an hour on his first appearance of the season at left back after finally overcoming a troublesome knee injury. Logan Cooke sat in front of the back four as a defensive midfielder and shielded the Fulham defence superbly.
The Baggies began brightly with Divine Onyemachi only denied one of the goals of the season by a superb reaction save from Dino Kaiser before the impressive winger sent a header over the bar from close range. When Fulham did enjoy a spell of pressure, Canadian youth international Evans saw a goal disallowed for a debatable handball in the build-up. Macaulay Zepa left Josh Shaw for dead but was denied by the legs of Albion goalkeeper Louis Brady.
The visitors went ahead two minutes before half-time when referee Simon Kavanagh awarded a penalty for handball. Wingate stepped forward and confidently converted the penalty. The young Whites showed fortitude in the second period as they denied the Baggies much in the way of clear-cut chances, with Fran Cherchi shooting wildly over the bar with the home side’s only real effort.
Wingate almost doubled the lead from inside his own half, with an outrageous attempt to lob Brady from long-range drifting just wide. The West Brom goalkeeper did well to get to a through ball from Seth Chingwaro ahead of the onrushing left-back Luca Picotto, but he was beaten two minutes into stoppage time. Chingwaro, who looks an excellent acquisition from Manchester City, threaded a ball through to Zepa on the right flank and the winger’s low cross allowed Evans to clinch all three points from close range.
Fulham, who have five games in hand on leaders Crystal Palace, could move top of the U18 Premier League South if they beat the Eagles in a top-of-the-table clash at Motspur Park next Saturday morning.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1):Â Brady; Maughan (Asomugha 67), Shaw, Blackshields (Sankoh 59), Dupont (Gompe 67); Abudu, Colesby; Cherchi, Onyemachi (Round 59), French; Okorodudu (Seven-Seven 59).
BOOKED: French, Maughan, Okorodundu.
FULHAM UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1): Kaiser; Walters, Hall (Picotto 62), Esenga (Schutter 69′), Slade; Cooke, Chingwaro; Zepa, Grant (Khan 90+3), Evans; Wingate (Lubega 76). Subs (not used): Mayer.
BOOKED: Grant, Wingate.
GOALS: Wingate (pen 43), Evans (90+2).
REFEREE: Simon Kavanagh.
