U18 Report: Saints 6-2 Nottingham Forest

Qualification for the quarter-finals is very much on for Saints, who top Group D, for now, following a 6-2 victory over Forest at Staplewood.

Joshua Pitts excelled during a clinical first 45 from the home side, who went into the break 5-0 up, with the winger bagging two of those goals and an assist.

Top scorer Nicholas Oyekunle added a sixth from the penalty spot before Forest nabbed two consolation goals at the end to take a slight shine off of a mostly stellar afternoon for Saints.

It was a bright start for Southampton under the autumnal sunshine, taking just four minutes for Pitts to put the home side in front.

A cross from Oli Newman from the right-hand side was collected brilliantly on the chest by Pitts, who needed just the one touch to then fire it past Keenan Willows into the top right-hand corner.

Early pressure from Calum McFarlane’s side paid off once again, this time from a corner taken by Pitts, with Max Fry meeting the cross to loop his header past a flailing Willows and double Saints’ lead inside 11 minutes.

Forest started to grow into the game with their best period of possession, almost hitting back straight away as Fuad Smith saw his cross-goal shot slide narrowly wide.

Isaac Davies was very much pulling the strings for Forest in the midfield as Southampton struggled to keep hold of the ball.

But against the run of play, Southampton made it 3-0 on 28 minutes as Korban McMullen fed Moses Sesay through one on one to slip in past the Forest keeper.

Forest, undeterred, again looked the side most likely to find the next goal, hitting the post, as Cormac Daly put a low cross in for Zyan Blake, who bounced it off the upright from close range.

Saints could and should have made it four, as Oyekunle forced Willows into a good save from close range in the closing stages of normal time in the first half.

But Southampton didn’t have to wait long before adding another. On the stroke of 45, Pitts made it two for himself as Forest were caught in possession trying to play out from the back. Pitts’ left footed strike going in high to the keeper’s right.

Then almost straight from the kick-off Forest were dispossessed again in the second minute of stoppage time. Newman picking the ball up and driving at the defence on the right, then lashing his shot in off the post as Saints went into the break five goals to the good.

Forest boss Lewis Grabban, in the attempt to make it a somewhat competitive second half, made three changes, as Evan Boulter, Scott Hamilton and Bubacarr Sanneh all entered the fray.

There was just the one change for Saints at the interval, as McFarlane swapped goalscorer Fry for Hansel Adjei-Afriye in his back four.

If the first half was the main event, the second was reminiscent of a warm-up act being allowed back on stage, with the intensity dropping off for both sides with referee Lewis Ward forced to make it a stop-start few minutes with a number of fouls committed.

One of those went the way of Saints, inside the opposition box, as Oyekunle was brought down by David Modupe. Ward pointing to the spot in the 59th minute and brandishing a yellow to the Forest defender.

Oyekunle smashed his effort off the inside of the upright, sending Willows the wrong way in the process as Southampton made it an insurmountable 6-0 lead.

Forest began to test Oscar Abbotson in the Saints goal, although the keeper was only forced to make a few routine saves from substitute Hamilton’s efforts.

Oyekunle could have bagged himself a hat-trick, if the striker had been more clinical in open play, wasting a pair of one on ones against Forest stopper Willows.

Forest manager Grabban may be on the team bus back to Nottingham slightly happier in the notion his side ‘won’ the second half, as Daly bagged a brace in the final 10 minutes after defensive lapses from Southampton. Abbotson clearly furious seeing his clean sheet evaporating near the death.

Despite the late switch-off, it proved a comfortable afternoon for Southampton, who face West Ham Under-18s away in their final group match on Saturday 23rd November. A draw could be all that’s needed to send the Saints into the next round.

Saints: Abbotson, Okunola-Matthews, Dobson-Ventura (c), Fry (Adjei-Afriye 45), Sewell, McMullen, Newman (Goremusandu 81), Daley (Martin 70), Oyekunle, Pitts (Bassega 78), Sesay.

Subs not used: Henry Upstell.

Goals: Pitts (4', 45'), Fry (11'), Sesay (28'), Newman (45+1'), (Oyekunie 59').

Forest: K Willows (c), Broomes, Whitely, Robinson, Modupe, Clarke (Sanneh 45), Daly, Davies (Boulter 45), Blake (Hamilton 45), Bradshaw, Smith (J Willows 76).

Subs not used: Bailey.

Goals: Daly (80', 89').

Yellow cards: Bradshaw, Modupe.