Shrewsbury Town 2-2 LFC Foundation College
A Shrewsbury Town youth team filled with trialists was held to a draw against Liverpool Football Club’s Foundation College in a friendly on Saturday.Goals from Jordan Wilson and Joe Kenton inside the first 15 minutes looked set to give Ian Dawes’ side a comfortable victory at Shrewsbury Sports Village.
But the visitors pulled one back two minutes before half-time and found an equaliser with 12 minutes left.
The match will have provided useful experience for the trialists and first-year scholars involved, the second years being rested with Wednesdays Midland Youth Cup match against Chasetown in mind.
FIRST HALF
The young Shrews made a fast start with Wilson tapping in a low cross from a trialist inside the six-yard box in the second minute.
Wilson then turned provider for the trialist who set him up, but the latter was just unable to reach the low ball in.
However, Town soon doubled their lead in the 15th minute as Kenton smashed in a strike from the left side of the area.
Dawes’ side could easily have had a third ten minutes before the half-time when Wilson attacked the visitors goal from the right, but his side-foot shot came back off the near post.
And the visitors halved the deficit two minutes before the break by pouncing on a defensive mistake with a close range finish, leaving the game delicately poised for the second period.
HALF-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 2-1 LFC Foundation College
The game quietened down after the break although there was a chance for a Town trialist as he broke down the right in the 50th minute, but he chipped straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.
At the other end, defender Tom Astley had to be on hand to clear off the line when a visitors striker lofted over Alex Ashton.
Although LFC’s Foundation College did level the game in the 78th minute with a strike from the left, and despite substitute Ethan Jones nearly find a winner for Town late on, the game finished all square.
FULL-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 2-2 LFC Foundation College
TOWN LINE-UP: Alex Ashton, trialist, Nathan Millis, trialist, Tom Astley, Joel Carta, Joe Kenton, trialist, Jordan Wilson, trialist, trialist.
SUBS: Harry Lewis, Jack Butts, Tom King, George Hassall, Ethan Jones.
NEXT FIXTURE: Shrewsbury Town v Chasetown (Midland Youth Cup Round One, Wednesday 3 September, 7pm kick-off at the Greenhous Meadow).