Adrion Pajaziti hit a hat-trick as Fulham’s under 21s thrashed Reading 7-1 to return to winning ways at Motspur Park this evening.
The Albanian under-21 international was the provider for Fulham’s opening goal as the young Whites hit the front in the seventh minute. Pajaziti’s corner was perfectly delivered for Kristian Šekularac to head over Harvey Collins and in via the far post from six yards out.
Terrell Works nearly doubled Fulham’s lead shortly afterwards but his curling effort drifted fractionally wide before Collins saved smartly from Callum Osmand and Josh King. The Reading keeper was beaten by Works on 26 minutes when the lively winger picked his spot in the bottom corner having been teed up by Matt Dibley-Dias after a patient pattern of probing passes.
Harvey Araujo ended a promising run from Jahmari Clarke as the Royals briefly threatened, but Collins was quickly back in action saving superbly from Osmand after the Welsh striker’s rasping drive from Giorgos Okkas’ cross appeared destined for the top corner. Fulham’s fluent football fashioned a third ten minutes before the break when Pajaziti was played in by Šekularac and rounded the goalkeeper with little fuss. The midfielder got his second of the net by converting a Devan Tanton cross to make it four three minutes before the interval.
There was still time for another goal before the break. Works punished some poor defending from a set-piece by beating Collins from an acute angle – meaning that the hosts went in at half-time 5-0 to the good. It soon became six right at the start of the second period, with Pajaziti completing his hat-trick by confident tucking away a penalty after King had been impeded in the area.
Substitute Bradley Slade produced a timely sliding tackle to prevent Clarke from pulling a goal back after he had skipped around Alfie McNally. Devan Tanton drilled in a seventh but the visitors did get a consolation as Jeremiah Okine-Peters powered home a cross from Adrian Akande. Lemar Gordon was twice denied by Collins in the closing stages, whilst Aaron Loupalo-Bi had a shot scrambled off the line.
FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): McNally (Underwood 88); Tanton, Okkas, de Fougerolles (45), Araujo; King, Dibley-Dias (McCoy-Splatt 65); Šekularac (Loupalo-Bi 88), Works (Gordon 65), Pajaziti (Loupalo-Bi 86).
GOALS: Šekularac (7), Works (26), Pajaziti (35, 42, pen 46), Works (45+1), Tanton (56).
READING UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Collins, Clarke, Abdei Salam, Purcell (Tuma 57), Borgnis; Senga-Ngoyt, Holzman; Tuma (Okine-Peters 52), Akande, Wellens; Jahman Clarke (Barough 57). Subs (not used): Rhine, Stickland.
BOOKED: Abdei Salam.
