Beautiful October morning at Motspur Park. The sun’s out but there’s a chill in the air. Perfect football weather.
The visitors today are Arsenal. Arsene Wenger is famous for stockpiling superstars in the making from around the world, so this promises to be quite a test. The Arsenal side beat Chelsea’s U18s 2-0 recently, and are top of the league.
The U18 and U16 games are played on adjacent pitches. The U18s, with two more years of tuition, growth and polish, get the bigger crowd, but both games are well supported. The U18 game is quick, precise, organised; the U16s seem less controlled, more aerial passes, more mistakes, more fouls, more chirping at a referee who seems to be disturbing both sets of players with some puzzling decisions.
Back to the U18 game. Michael Uwezu, short but powerful, drives into the box, jinks around the Arsenal ‘keeper, then seems to lose his way. The opportunity is not quite lost though, as Uwezu squeezes a cross out from under his feet, straight onto the hand of a retreating defender. Penalty!
Danny Hoesen buries his kick low to the ‘keeper’s right. The latter guessed correctly but the penalty was too good for him. 1-0.
Hoesen makes it 1-0
Fulham start to attack. Alex Smith, a lively presence on the left, takes down a long ball instantly and tries to lob the advancing ‘keeper, but overhits his effort and it sails harmlessly over the bar.
We hear a booming instruction from the far side “Tuck in, Keanu” (Marsh-Brown); “I’m in!” protests the right back. He’s a well regarded prospect, and formerly part of the Arsenal system. Perhaps today wasn’t his best performance going forwards, but he’s quick, solid defensively, and looks like the sort of player who will keep getting better. Definitely one to watch.
Keanu Marsh-Brown dealt well with Arsenal’s left-sided players
Soon we see Arsenal’s number three rugby tackle a Fulham player on halfway. He looks upset to be penalised. His teammates complain too. Strange. A woman along from me: “he was training with the team. Lamps, Terry and David James were on his side. I asked if I could watch, but he said ‘it’s behind closed doors, mum!’”
The second half is more lively. An Arsenal shot deflects wickedly, but Wesley Foderingham adjusts early and makes a good save springing to his right. He has an air of dependability back there.
Troy Brown orders his troops: “Don’t give him time to shoot! Don’t let him dictate the game!” This, I think, in response to Arsenal’s Emanuel Frimpong’s growing influence. Frimpong, born in Ghana but with Arsenal for some time, will either be one of the best players in football or disappear altogether. On the one hand he’s fast, strong, direct, and has an amazing swagger about him. “Give it to me!” he kept shouting at his teammates. Admirable desire, but will he learn to use the ball well? A couple of times he took silly pot shots when a pass would have been a more sensible choice, but there’s a hell of a player there if he works at his game. Rees Jones and Courtney Harris did pretty well against him overall, it has to be said.
Brown wins well in the air. “Second ball” implores the man next to me. He’s right, the ball is picked up by a red shirt, whipped into the area, and thumped home by a genuinely impressive header. 1-1, harsh on Fulham.
Dutch forward Danny Hoesen starts to get into the game. He’s upright, quick enough, and neat in possession. He does well to win a series of headers from right wing crosses, but can’t make them count. Uwezu nearly robs the goalkeeper, but is denied.
“Well done, Karim” shouts Troy Brown after left-back Karim Laribi overlaps for the hundredth time. “Use me, use me!” he offers, giving his team options. Of all the players out there today, Brown impressed me most. Not especially big, not especially fast, Brown just seems to get it. He pulled all the strings, moving his teammates around, praising them, encouraging them, reminding them. His partnership with the quieter Pierre Hall was good to see. Hall is slight, languid but elegant. He wins the ball in the air and uses it quite well when its on the deck.
Pierre Hall brings it out
Karim Laribi on the attack
Hoesen wins another header at the far post, gets this one down and on target, but it’s blocked.
Wayne Jackson comes on as a sub in midfield. From the sidelines he looks like a small version of Wayne Rooney. A tenacious midfielder, he shows some nice touches in his time on the field: one long pass from deep in his own half almost sets Hoesen free; it was perfectly played and showed excellent vision.
Wayne Jackson closes down Frimpong. Behind him Brown directs his team-mates
Laribi, who appears to be at ease on either foot, cuts inside and sends a spectacular drive arcing towards the top corner. It takes a fine save to keep it out. The left back has goals in him. He broke forwards several times in the game, either running at (and past) defenders or passing and moving. Great to watch.
Arsenal break through, Foderingham saves well with a strong left hand.
Hoesen is really influencing the game now. Back to goal, he turns the ball round the corner beautifully, setting sub Kai Bichard free, but the shot is well saved.
The game is open. Troy Brown clears off the line. Foderingham is tested from distance, and flips the ball over the bar well. More good work from those two.
Troy Brown’s vocal leadership was a feature of the game
Full time is disappointing, it looked like the whites had another goal in them. Against this, Arsenal were fast and dangerous (and again, top of the league), so a draw is not to be sniffed at. At the fans’ forum Roy Hodgson said that perhaps our academy hasn’t got the quality players it needs to have, but we do appear to have a collection of bright, talented individuals who work well as a team. This last point really stood out. I’ve mentioned Troy Brown a few times, but you can’t underestimate the value of leadership like that. At Craven Cottage you just wouldn’t notice this, the sound would drown him out. From the touchline at Motspur Park you hear a lot, it brings a new dimension to watching the game. The team also has a number of talented attacking players, but all of them seemed prepared to put in a shift defensively, all of them worked hard, and all deserved credit for outplaying a very talented Arsenal team.
Team: Foderingham; Marsh-Brown, Hall, Brown, Laribi; Wilson, Harris, Jones, Smith; Hoesen, Uwezu
Some more pics:
Jordan Wilson down the left
Courtney Harris is upended
Laribi defends
