Callum McKenzie reflects on Town’s victory over Bury
Shrewsbury U18’s gained another vital three points in the Youth Alliance League on Saturday after beating Bury by two goals to one.
Despite conceding in the 50th minute, two first half goals courtesy of Archie Elmore and Luke Ward was enough for Town to win their third league win in a row, and Callum McKenzie is ‘delighted’ with another three points.
He said: “I’m delighted. I thought we were excellent in the first half, as good as we’ve been in the last couple of months really.
“In possession and out of possession, we were excellent. We really moved them around. We were brave, we mixed our play up well and we found some really good patterns to work out from goal kicks and out from the goalkeeper.
“At the same time, I thought we found some good balls down the sides and over the top for the forward players. We really kept them guessing and out of possession, our intensity was just incredible in the first half.”
Archie Elmore broke the deadlock in the third minute after James Rowland was able to find him after a well worked pass, and the Professional Development Phase Coach thought that this gave them an advantage for the rest of the half.
“Goals change games. I thought the pattern of the game before the goal was very similar to the pattern in the remaining 35 minutes of the first half.
“We had good control, our midfield players found good pockets of space to open up and play forwards. I thought some of the players had their best games for a long long time. It gave us an advantage of course, but I thought we were on top when we scored anyway.”
Both teams were sent to ten men when Jack Atkinson and Bright Amoateng saw red after a scuffle broke out between the players when Bury scored their only goal.
But McKenzie is not quite sure whether this was the right call.
“I hate to say this but I don’t know.
“I’ve got an idea in my head about what happened but without watching it back, I wouldn’t be able to be certain.
“Their lad looked to have put his head into Jack, which obviously, you can’t do. The referee said that Jack had swung his arm before that. Again, I’d have to watch it back before I make a decision on that but it’s one those things.
“Unfortunately when they scored, Jack held the ball and that created that melee which sometimes ends like it did.”
Defender Luke Ward picked up a knock late on in the second half but the Shrewsbury Coach has confirmed that it is not serious.
“I think it was just a little bit of tiredness coming in at the end; a bit of fatigue.
“As everyone did, he worked his socks off. I think there were some busted and bruised bodies out there at the end.
“But no, he’s absolutely fine.”