Under-18s beaten despite dominating
Shrewsbury Town’s youth team dominated their game at Bury on Saturday but two second-half goals from Anthony Dudley gave the Shakers victory.Town created numerous chances throughout the Football League Youth Alliance (North West) contest but could not find the back of the net.
And Dudley popped up with a header and a far-post tap in after the break to give the hosts all three points at Turton Football Club.
FIRST HALF
Town's head of academy coaching Ian Dawes made two changes to the side which lost 3-2 at Port Vale in the previous weekend.
Captain Jeff Watkins and midfielder Tom King returned to the starting line-up in place of Ethan Jones and one of the new trialists respectively.
Despite the surface being greasy at Turton Football Club, the home of Old Boltonians AFC, Town started well and had the first great chance, when striker Kaiman Anderson met King’s cross to the far post but poked the ball the wide.
Joe Kenton also stepped inside from 30 yards out but fired straight at Bury goalkeeper Rhys Williams just past the half-hour mark.
At the other end, Town stopper Harry Lewis, back from England Under-18s duty, showed why the young Lions gave him his first cap with a one-handed save at the top corner to tip around Robert Bourne’s free-kick.
There was another great chance for Dawes’ side to take the lead, though, three minutes before half-time, when Anderson latched onto Niall Flint’s through ball over the top before being denied by the legs of Williams from the right.
Neither side could break the deadlock before the end of the first period, though.
HALF-TIME: Bury 0-0 Shrewsbury Town
The young Shrews started the second half as well as they began the first, but Bury took the lead in the 50th minute.
A free-kick on the edge of the box took a big deflection up into the air before Dudley was able to head into an empty net from close range – it was harsh on Town.
However, Anderson nearly found the visitors an equaliser at the other end within two minutes, but after breaking in behind on the inside right, his low strike was tipped away by Williams.
Town then had a goal disallowed on the hour mark when Anderson saw his strike beaten away before midfielder Alex Fletcher bundled in the rebound, as the linesman’s flag had already been raised.
Dawes’ side continued to press for an equaliser with 20 minutes left, but the Shakers doubled their lead in the 78th minute when Henry Worthingham’s low cross from the left was turned in by Dudley at the far post.
And there was no way back for Town as they fell to defeat, with next week seeing them move away from league matters with a trip to Burton Albion in the Youth Alliance Cup.
FULL-TIME: Bury 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
TOWN LINE-UP: Harry Lewis (GK), Trialist, Ben Burton, Trialist, Jeff Watkins (c)0, Niall Flint, Joe Kenton (Jones, 75’), Alex Fletcher, Kaiman Anderson, Josh Ginnelly, Tom King (Wilson, 85’).
SUBS: Alex Ashton (GK), Nathan Millis, Joel Carta, Ethan Jones, Jordan Wilson.
BOOKED: Watkins.
BURY LINE-UP: Rhys Williams (GK), Jake Durham, Sam Gibson (c), Robert Bourne, Hayden Fincher, Matty Foulds, George Miller, Scott Burgess, Anthony Dudley, Khalid Mohammed, Henry Worthingham.
SUBS: Morgan Bacon (GK), Raquarn Crosdale, Jamie McCarthy, Charlie Mulgrew, Luke Bennett.
GOALS: Dudley (50’, 78’).
BOOKED: Burgess.
NEXT FIXTURE: Burton Albion v Town (Youth Alliance Cup North Round 2, Saturday 4 October, 11am kick-off).
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