Goals from Frankie Runham and Ollie Harrison ensured Chelsea’s under 18s won the SW6 derby this afternoon – consigning Fulham’s under 18 outfit to their first defeat in seven matches at Cobham.
Runham’s close range finish after his header had been palmed onto the post by Fulham goalkeeper Marco Underwood gave the Blues a lead they doubled through Harrison’s penalty five minutes in the second half and, despite a stunning strike from Tom Wingate, Ali Melloul’s side couldn’t conjure up a late equaliser.
The home side made the swifter start to a fiercely contested derby and Fulham were indebted to brilliant goalkeeping from Underwood to preserving parity in the early stages. After Runham and Kobe Barbour went close with shots, Underwood charged off his line to thwart Barbour as the Chelsea winger sprinted through on goal after being released behind the Fulham defence by a beautiful ball from Sol Gordon.
Underwood could count himself unfortunate when the Blues went in front as Runham reacted quickest to finish from a few yards out after the Fulham goalkeeper had tipped his header onto the post. It could have been worse for the Whites at half-time but Underwood kept out a curling effort from Runham, who was running riot in the hole between the visiting defence and midfield, in the last action of the first half.
That proved merely a temporary reprieve. Five minutes after the break, Alfie White was penalised for handball in the box and Harrison hammered home the ensuing penalty. Fulham had been distinctly second best until that point, but they offered their first threat when the talented Macaulay Zepa was denied by a superb stop from Hudson Sands and quickly grew in confidence. Wingate made a game of it on the hour by rounding off a rapid break with a sweet strike in the bottom corner after excellent approach play from the French winger and Farhaan Ali Wahid.
Chelsea should have restored their two-goal cushion when Joseph Wheeler-Henry was allowed to get to Leo Cardoso’s corner inside the six-yard box but the centre back ballooned his effort over the bar, but that let off only served to galvanise the young Whites. Wingate felt he should have done better than rattling the side netting after being sent clear by a lovely floated ball from Ali Wahid and Fulham’s frustrations only rose when Logan Cooke narrowly failed to reprise his late heroics against Leicester City – this time heading agonisingly wide.
CHELSEA UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1):Â Sands; Antwi, Diakite, Wheeler-Henry, Subuloye; Emenalo (Holland 75), Harrison; Cardoso, Barbour (Kavuma-McQueen 53); Runham; Gordon (Idrissi 89). Subs (not used):Â Bernal, McGlinchey.
BOOKED: Antwi, Emenalo, Runham, Holland.
GOALS: Runham (32), Harrison (pen 50).
FULHAM UNDER 18s (4-4-2): Underwood (Kaiser 73); Faux, Picotto, Cooke, Schutter (Taylor 62); Khan, White, Zepa, Ali-Wahid; Evans (Lubega 67), Wingate. Subs (not used): Deagle, Platel.
BOOKED: White, Wingate.
GOAL: Wingate (60).
REFEREE: Elliot Spencer.
