Decent game. We are mostly dominant and played some really nice football. Probably hindered a bit by not having a target man upfront though. JJ was more impactful when he moved deeper on the 2nd half.
Defenders:
Ngwashi and Jacob Watson are both CBs that are very confident on the ball/passing, and has nice recovery pace. We could have a very good CBs pairing here for this age group moving forward. Couple of alarming occasions though (one pass from Ngwashi to Watson that was nicked by their striker but Watson did enough to prevent them from scoring, and another occasion that Watson slipped after being close down by 2 of their players).
Shah had a very good game, was very impactful offensively beating their fullbacks from times to times. Also did well when switched to midfield on the second half. Had a knock at the end and was replaced.
Thorley was decent but didn't do a lot going forward.
Midfielders:
Very impressed by McCormack in this game, especially his passing from deep.
Luca Scanlon probably the less impactful out of the 3 but had a good game too. Shown his composure and also his ball-winning on couple of occasions. He's nothing like this brother James though, couldn't tell if you didn't know it beforehand that they are related.
Ibrovic-Fletcher captained the team and probably the pick of the bunch in terms of technical abilities. One of those players that are extremely good with his feint. Was involved in many of our best plays. Shame that he couldn't get a goal (had a few chances especially his long shot which was tipped over the bar). Not sure if he has grown an inch or two but he's taller than I thought, so he's probably one of those that you can expect to feature up for the U18s this season.
Attackers
Brown and Ajayi both had a decent game, not as influential as Mantato and Balogun were last season. I really like Brown, nice feets but feels like he doesn't do enough to make up for his physical disadvantage. Ajayi, on the other hand, might have his long legs working against him as he seems to move the ball too far on couple occasions. Both will have a lot to do to get offered a scholarship next season.
JJ was relatively quiet on the first half (that's what you are expected to get when you put a small 13yo up front in an U16s game). Was more involved when he was moved deeper on the 2nd half. Was subbed out and then subbed in again after we ran out of players to substitute and scored a great goal on extra time.
Subs
Donkor was probably the pick out of the subs. Has ranging legs and was relentless and energetic on his run.
Helafu was good as usual (I rate him a lot). Had a great through ball to Kai Rooney that the latter wasn't managed to capture.
McLaughlin and Camacho shown good composure on the middle of the park. McLaughlin had a solo run beating 3-4 players that unfortunately couldn't get to shoot as there was just too many defenders.
Kai Rooney looks like he is developing well. Was quick and good with his holding up play and releasing the ball quickly. He has a totally different built compared to his dad so don't expect him to develop into the same type of player though. Also didn't get any chance to showcase his finishing.
Silva Mexes was tricky but raw on his touch and passing sometimes.
There was also a number 20 that came on in the final minutes as centre back that I didn't recall the name.
