FA Youth Cup Report: Fleetwood 0-3 Saints
Southampton's Under-18s booked their place on the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup with a 3-0 win over Fleetwood Town.
Saints had to battle for their win but three late goals and a Fleetwood red card saw them seal a comfortable victory come full time, with Sufianu Sillah Dibaga, Baylee Dipepa and Jay Robinson all on the scoresheet.
With they progression secured, Calum McFarlane’s side will play the winner of Thursday’s tie between Derby County and Sheffield United in the next round of the competition.
McFarlane had made just two changes from the previous round of the competition, as Dipepa came into the starting line-up with Sillah Dibaga on the bench.
Saints started the game brightly and had the first chance when Dipepa burst through into a shooting position, but saw Oliver Bellizia palm wide for a corner.
The early pressure continued and Thierry Rohart-Brown was next to test the Fleetwood keeper, as his left-footed strike arrowed towards the bottom corner before Bellizia took action to tip around the post.
Fleetwood responded by going close themselves when Mikey Lane sent a dipping effort over the crossbar from just outside the penalty area.
After a lively first 10 minutes, the game settled down, with Saints controlling possession and Fleetwood sitting back and looking for quick counter attacks.
BayleeDipepa was an early threat for Saints.
Both sides kept searching for the opener before the half time interval and two Fleetwood corners saw them come close to breaking the deadlock.
Raff Cirino hooked over from one, before Saints defender Jayden Moore diverted another delivery onto his own post.
Saints also created another opportunity when tricky wing play from Robinson forced a decent stop from Bellizia, before Abdul Okonola-Matthews smashed the rebound over the bar from a promising position.
A good start to the second half from the hosts put Saints on the back foot for a spell, and a half-cleared corner saw Pele Smith fire goalwards with his effort deflected wide.
Rylee Wilkinson then forced Dylan Moody into a save as the contest entered the final 25 minutes when his strike with the outside of his foot was directed straight at the Saints goalkeeper.
The game looked like it needed a piece of quality to open the scoring, and Saints duly produced that special moment in the 75th minute.
Excellent creative play from Robinson saw him dink a perfect ball through to subsitute Sillah Dibaga, who raced onto the ball before the advancing goalkeeper to flick into the far corner via the post.
Having finally broken through, the floodgates quickly opened for Saints and, helped by a red card for Fleetwood’s Harvey Currie for two bookable offences, two further goals gave breathing space in the latter stages.
Dipepa got himself on the scoresheet on 80 minutes when he forced home a loose ball from inside the box, and then Robinson netted the third after beating his marker with a solo run and shot that was diverted into the net via a deflection.
Three goals in eight minutes late in the tie sealed the victory, as Saints march on into the fifth round of the competition.
Fleetwood: Bellizia, Cirino (Eccles 86), Thompson, Smith (Jack Doherty 86), Haughey, Wilkinson (Jake Doherty 78), Currie, Kendrick, Lane, McLean (Taylor 86), Roberts.
Unused subs: Minopoli, Elmore, Haselden.
Yellow cards: Smith, Currie.
Red cards: Currie.
Saints: Moody, Okonola-Matthews (Sewell 85), Dobson-Ventura, Moore, Fry, Sesay (Pitts 82), Oyekunle, Daley, Dipepa (Martin 82), Rohart-Brown (Sillah Dibaga 45+2), Robinson.
Unused subs: Upstell, Gathercole, McMullan.
Goals: Sillah Dibaga 75, Dipepa 80, Robinson 83.
Yellow cards: Okonola-Matthews.
