Under-18s Slip Out Of Youth Alliance Cup
- Youth team slip out of Youth Alliance Cup in Round Three
- Two early Oldham goals put them in the driving seat
- Wilson pulled one back for Town but it wasn't enough
Goals from Devante Jacobs and Ben Grant were enough to send the Latics into the next round of the competition, despite Jordan Wilson pulling one back for Town.
The round three game, played at Shrewsbury Sports Village, had previously been rearranged and the Under-18s will face Oldham again on Saturday, away from home in the league.
TEAM NEWS
Head of academy coaching Ian Dawes made one change to the side which played in the youth team's last competitive game - the 6-2 win at Morecambe in January - by bringing in youngster Sam Hughes for Jack Butts.
FIRST HALF
Town made a slow start and goalkeeper Shaun Rowley had to parry away a fierce strike from Jordache Walters with three minutes on the clock.
At the other end, though, striker Kaiman Anderson was denied by the save of Paul Tyson in the sixth minute.
However, the visitors took the lead with 12 minutes on the clock when Jacobs blasted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.
Tony Philliskirk's side then doubled their lead seven minutes later as Ben Grant headed in from Jack Tuohy's corner on the left.
Shrews showed courage to try and get back in the game after the second setback and striker Wilson pulled a goal back by calmly sliding the ball into the far corner after good work from Anderson to pull the ball back.
Anderson should then have equalised for his side when he nicked the ball off a Latics defender inside the penalty area before pulling his shot wide of the far post.
Kallum Mantack also had to clear a loose ball off the Oldham goal line approaching half-time, following a Niall Flint corner, but the Latics went in ahead at the break.
HALF-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Oldham Athletic
After the break, Town goalkeeper Rowley made a string of important saves to keep the deficit to just one goal.
Dawes' side were also saved by the post with just over ten minutes left as an attempted effort deflect to Tuohy on the edge of the box before he fired against the right post.
Shrews threw all they could at Oldham in the closing stages but it wasn't enough and the visitors were the team to progress in the competition.
FULL-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Oldham Athletic
SHREWSBURY TOWN LINE-UP: Shaun Rowley (GK); Ben Burton, Callum Grogan, Sam Hughes (Jeff Watkins, 45), Nathan Millis, Ryan Hickman, Alex Fletcher (Ryan Sears, 76), Niall Flint, Ethan Jones, Jordan Wilson (George Hughes, 64), Kaiman Anderson.
UNUSED SUBS: Alex Ashton (GK), Tom Astley.
GOALS: Wilson (29).
BOOKED: Watkins (86).
OLDHAM ATHLETIC LINE-UP: Paul Tyson (GK); Kallum Mantack, Eddie Fulwood, Callum Etches, George Edmundson, Ben Grant, Jordache Walters, Jack Tuohy, Callum Scullion (Jake Hargreaves, 75), Devante Jacobs, Alex Read.
UNUSED SUBS: Chris Renshaw, Ryan Ellison, Rio Murray, Rahul Parmer.
GOALS: Devante (12), Grant (19).
REFEREE: Mr S. Lane
ASSISTANTS: Mr M. Swinscoe & Mr A. Kynaston
PICTURE GALLERY: Available HERE
NEXT FIXTURE: Oldham Athletic v Shrewsbury Town. Football League Youth Alliance - North West league fixture. 11am kick-off. Venue TBC
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