A terrific hat-trick from Tom Olyott helped Fulham’s under 18s win a topsy-turvy encounter with Leicester City at Motspur Park this afternoon.
Ali Melloul’s side had to recover from the shock of going behind as early as the second minute when Kirsten Otchere followed up to put the Foxes ahead after Dino Kaiser had parried a shot from Yassin Toure. Ma’kel Bogle-Campbell brought the hosts level in the twelve minute when the number ten supplied the finish touch to a fine Fulham move. A lovely switch of play from Damon Park created some space for Brad de Jesus to exploit and Olyott laid off the full back’s cross for Bogle-Campbell to equalise with a first-time finish.
Olyott, who scored both goals in the opening day win over Reading, then put the young Whites in front right on the stroke of half time with a powerful finish having breezed past his marker after being found again by the dangerous de Jesus. But Leicester fought back in the second time with substitute Jake Evans converting a cross from Ryan Donnelly after the hosts had failed to deal with a corner.
Their hopes of getting a result appeared to diminish when Otchere was shown a second yellow card by referee Matthew Norton for preventing Fulham from taking a free-kick. It took the Whites just six minutes to make the most of their numerical advantage when Olyott switched the ball onto his left foot and lashed a lovely finish through a forest of bodies from the edge of the box.
But the plucky visitors were far from finished. Kaiser was unfortunate to concede having made a brilliant reaction save in turning striker Reece Evans shot onto the crossbar but the rebound fell to Will Lawrence, whose downward header bounced in over the grounded Fulham goalkeeper.
With time running out, Olyott produced a moment of magic to complete his hat-trick and seal a precious three points for Fulham. The talented Josh King linked up with the midfielder, swapping passes, before Olyott took over and hit a low shot past Leicester goalkeeper Steve Bausor from the edge of the area.
FULHAM UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1): Kaiser; de Jesus, Schutter (Quashie 76), Gofford, Park; Nwoko, King; Olyott, Gordon (Ali Wahid 68), Bogel-Campbell (Ridgeon 59); Osmand. Subs (not used): Varney, Cooke.
BOOKED: Bogle-Campbell, Schutter, Osmand, Ali Wahid, Quashie, Nwoko.
GOALS: Bogle-Campbell (13), Olyott (43, 70, 88).
LEICESTER CITY UNDER 18s (4-3-1-2): Bausor; Dyke, Thomas (Adedeji 90), Neale, Donnelly (Lawrence 78), Loureiro (Page 90); Otchere; R. Evans, Toure (J. Evans 54). Subs (not used): McNab.
BOOKED: Otchere, Donnelly, Adedeji.
GOALS: Otchere (2), J. Evans (58), Lawrence (79).
REFEREE: Matthew Norton.
