Alliance Cup: Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Wrexham
: Preston North End v Shrewsbury Town (Football League Youth Alliance - North West league, Saturday 7 November, 11am kick-off, Venue TBC). NEXT FIXTURE
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GOALS: Freeman (39).
UNUSED SUBS: Dane Rigby, Alex Downes, Scott McHarrie, Sam Ashworth.
: Reece Airey (GK); Douglas Tharme, Ben Burrows, Leo Smith, Danny Roberts, Oliver Marx, Ryan Williams, Rakim Newton (C), Niall Freeman, Leroy Jennings, TOm Creamer (Harrie Hughes, 65). WREXHAM LINE-UP
BOOKED: Carta (63).
GOALS: Kenton (29), Jones (86).
UNUSED SUBS: George Hassall, Callum Grogan, Jacob Rammell, Nathan Millis.
: Leon Reece (GK); Jack Butts (C), Ryan Sears, Joel Bonner, Callum Roberts, Chris Gallagher, Josh Agbozo (Tom King, 58), Joel Carta, John McAtee (Mathew Jones, 90+1), Joe Kenton, Ethan Jones. SHREWSBURY TOWN LINE-UP
FULL-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Wrexham
And the young Shrews held on to progess into the Youth Alliance Cup Northern Area semi-finals.
Shrewsbury goalkeeper Leon Reece was forced into one smart stop in the third minute of added time at the end to prevent a Wrexham equaliser.
Gallagher pulled back a low cross from the right and Jones controlled and took the ball around a defender before firing low into the bottom-left corner inside the box.
However, Kenton's strike partner Jones popped up with the winner for Shrewsbury with four minutes to go.
Kenton then had a similar chance to his first one in the opening period to win the game for Town but he flicked just wide of the far post from Jack Butts' cross on the right.
McAtee again stung the gloves of the Wrexham goalkeeper with 20 minutes to go while, at the other end, Freeman headed just wide of the left post from Leo Smith's cross on the right.
Defender Ryan Sears then had the ball in the net for Shrewsbury in the 62nd minute as he followed-up a stinging shot from McAtee which Airey couldn't hold, but the Town defender was offside as he fired in the rebound.
And on the hour mark, Kenton looked for his second of the match but fired just wide off his left foot from the edge of the penalty area.
Two minutes later, McAtee was played in on the inside right and shot low and narrowly wide of the left post.
Town started the second period on the front foot and Jones got in on the right before firing straight at the Wrexham goalkeeper within three minutes of the restart.
HALF-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Wrexham
And it remained all-square at the interval.
However, Wrexham found an equaliser six minutes before the break as Freeman fired in a shot from the edge of the Town penalty area.
The young Shrews continued to attack and Jones saw a strike from the edge of the box fly just past the left post with 34 minutes on the clock.
Carta sent a long ball upfield from the halfway mark, John McAtee latched onto it just inside the box and prodded the ball past the oncoming 'keeper for the run of Kenton who then squeezed the ball into the empty net from the inside right.
Kenton almost got on the end of a Chris Gallagher cross with 26 minutes on the clock and then did find the goal in the 29th minute to give Town the lead.
It was a lively opening period and Kenton had a second chance to find the net as Agbozo cushioned a header to the second-year scholar on the edge of the penalty area, but his half-volley flew straight at Wrexham goalkeeper Reece Airey.
At the other end, Wrexham's Ryan Williams saw a shot deflect just over the crossbar.
Shrewsbury made a good start to the match and Kenton had a chance to open the scoring inside three minutes as he flicked Jones' low cross from the right just wide of the far post inside the box.
FIRST HALF
The other two changes saw Joel Bonner start in place of Callum Grogan in defence and Josh Agbozo come in with Nathan Millis on the bench.
With George Hughes being injured, Joel Carta came into the midfield while George Hassall pulled up in the warm-up, with Kenton his replacement.
Head of Academy coaching Ian Dawes made four changes to the side which knocked AFC Telford United out of the FA Youth Cup in extra-time on Tuesday night.
TEAM NEWS
However, after much Shrewsbury pressure, Jones finally broke Wrexham hearts with an 86th-minute to send Town into the next round of the competition.
Town took a first-half lead through Joe Kenton in the round three tie at Shrewsbury Sports Village but Wrexham hit back before the break via Niall Freeman.
Ethan Jones struck late to fire Shrewsbury Town into the Football League Youth Alliance Cup - Northern Area semi-finals in the win over Wrexham on Saturday.