Arsenal’s Under 18’s got their Academy league campaign off to a winning start this morning with a 3-1 win over Mersyside outfit Everton.
A small crowd had gathered to enjoy the football, and the North London sun ahead of the kick off.
New scholars Emmanuel Frimpong and Luke Freeman were handed starts, with Rorie Deacon and Sam Byles named among the substitutes. Jay Thomas would partner Frimpong in the centre – the pair had shone for the first team over pre-season.
Shea
Eastmond – Bartley – Ayling – Cruise
Frimpong – Thomas (c)
Sunu – Watt – Freeman
Murphy
The game was a fantastic opener for Bould boys, with the young Gunners surely dedicating the win to Development Officer Liam Brady who was released from Hospital last night.
Thomas Cruise’s jinking run brought a cross for Luke Freeman to slot home for the opener, before a scramble in the area saw newly signed professional Sanchez Watt smash home the second. The win was wrapped up in the second half as Gilles Sunu released Luke Freeman through the middle, the diminutive forward kept his composure to claim a confident brace.
Kyle Bartley and Gilles Sunu had further chances to extend the advantage, with the latter thumping the cross bar during the first half. Luke Ayling was booked for a late challenge in the second period, with Rhys Murphy also unlucky not to get a penalty kick.
James Shea had a solid start to his reign as number one, but will feel disappointed after conceding late on.
But 3-1 it would finish, with Arsenal beginning in fine form ahead of another exciting season.
Article By – J.Sanderson
Was there any stand out performances today? And from what i have seen watt seems very usefull do you think watt and freeman will play much for the reserves this season
hey JS – any chance of getting ratings for these sort of matches and maybe individual reports, to get an idea of who’s performing and who’s not? Great site by the way.
good perfomrnace
J iv read on other blogs that inler will be coming this week what do you think the chances are of this happening?
also what do you think of our new signing :)
So much for being ‘a team with a foreign flavour’ huh? I can only see ONE player in the starting line-up who is a foreigner….
I have done ratings before, i feel that they are a matter of a persons opinion rather than for me to tell you my views, because everybody is different.
Sunu, Freeman and Watt certainly starting the season well
Luke freeman looks like he might be a good player one day. hopefully he can get some reserve games or maybe even carling cup-that might be pushing it-this season.
i agree with nirgoon that individual player ratings would be great or maybe even just a man of the match award.
PS this is the best arsenal site on the internet.
It is nice to see Sanchez Watt get on the score sheet because i think he has a big future a head of him IMO
goonerguy – From reading around and talking to people it seems to have some legs to it rather than a normal rumour, and Chris wouldn’t post something unless it was really true.
But as ive said before, try and keep it on topic mate :)
@ JS
is there a link to see the highlights or the goals
j. do u think watt is gud enuff to make it at arsenal?
j. in your opinion who in the current u-18 squad has the most potential to make it at arsenal
J was the a goalkeeper on the bench if so who or if not why not
Sounds like Murphy had a quiet game.
Yeah I was hoping for a couple from Rhys today. He gave an indication when he came on against Boreham Wood that he might be back to his best.
I don’t think rating individual players at this level is fair. They are so young they will have off days and it seems like pressure to start rating them as opposed to just commenting on who had a particularly good game, or who was a bit quiet on the day. It also seems unreasonable to start asking J, who in his opinion will make it at Arsenal. There are so many factors, which can affect that and not all of them are obvious on the pitch.
Bit off subject but Seeming pedro and traore are out on loan and gibbs is set to go to reading according to this site do you think rene steer will be put in the squads for the carling cup i’d like to see how he would do i think he will be a very good attacking left back in time
Where was Evina mate? Or is he a member of the reserves now?
Nice to see Freeman getting a brace. Looks like our U18s are better than Everton’s academy. The times are changing…soon, we’ll be producing world class English players to play in our lineup…it’ll be a totally different level to what the Toffees have done.
“Jay Thomas would partner Frimpong in the centre – the pair had shone for the first team over pre-season.” I’d hardly say Jay Thomas ‘shone’ for the first team in pre-season, in Sevilla he was dismal on the wing and below par at full back (Frimpong again hardly shone in the way Wilshere did for example). You don’t need to sensationalize every youngster’s performance
Frimpong is an excellent prospect Smeg-head.
Where did I say that he wasn’t? I merely said that saying Jay Thomas and Frimpong shone for the first team in pre-season was inaccurate. I wasn’t doubting the ability of either, and I’m sure they’ll be better off for having faced top quality opposition, but saying they shone implies they stood out, and they didn’t (no-one did in the Sevilla game to be fair).
So try and make a valid point next time, Smeg-head
Well Smeg I was impressed with Pongo in that game as I was in the Boreham Wood game.
Fair enough, didn’t think he was particularly impressive personally. But I thought the Boreham Wood game was more a reserve/youth friendly so I wasn’t really considering the performances in that with my comment
Well yeah. Pongo has of course just left school so shouldn’t be thought of as anymore than a youth/reserve player. And he’s lookin’ gooooooood!
IS COQUELIN NOW FIT AS HES GOING TO FRANCE TRAINING SESSION
factually incorrect again J – Sanchez Watt didn’t score the second, it was in fact an own goal. Now I know you never publish my comments but I thought I would tell you
Not factually incorrect at all.
Arsenal have awarded the goal to Sanchez Watt