U23s/youth watch

Match report: Wolves U23s 0-2 Aston Villa U23s

Game details

Match: Wolves U23s v Aston Villa U23s
Date: October 16, 2017
Competition: Premier League 2
Venue: New Bucks Head
Kick-off: 7pm
Weather: 11c, clear

Scoring summary

McKirdy, Lyden

Analysis

Villa U23s made it five straight wins in all competitions as Jack Grealish played an hour to mark his return from injury against Wolves U23s.

First-half goals from Harry McKirdy and Jordan Lyden put the Young Lions in a comfortable position, with the hosts rarely threatening for the remainder of the match.

Grealish completed just over 60 minutes, making his first start of any sort since July, when he sustained kidney damage in a pre-season friendly.

Manager Steve Bruce was in attendance to watch the 22-year-old's progress, as well as regular first team players Callum O'Hare and James Bree.

Villa U23s are now just three points adrift of leaders Middlesbrough at the top of PL2 Division 2.

Line-ups

WOLVES: Burgoyne, Oniangue, Deslandes, Goncalves, Odoffin, Hause, Zero, Ronan, Wilson, Xavier, Seedorf. Subs: Rasmussen, John, Yang, Armstrong, Collins.

ASTON VILLA: Johanson, Bree, Suliman, Finnerty, Borg, Lyden, Doyle-Hayes, Blackett-Taylor, Grealish, McKirdy, O'Hare. Subs: Bedeau, Idem, Cox, Knibbs, Prosser.

MATCH REPORTS

Aston Villa U23 player ratings: Jordan Lyden and Callum O'Hare superb in Wolves win

Alex Dicken was in attendance as
Aston Villa continued their impressive Premier League 2 form with a hard-fought win over neighbours Wolves at New Bucks Head tonight.

Goals from Harry McKirdy and Jordan Lyden sealed victory for the visitors to save face after the club’s 2-0 reverse to Wolves in the Championship on Saturday.


Alex Dicken was at Telford and rates the players.

Victor Johansson - 8

What a group of young goalkeepers Villa have! Matija Sarkic was the star as Villa beat Brighton a couple of weeks ago but Johansson proved himself a more than capable replacement tonight.

The Swede was commanding and confident throughout the evening and eased the pressure on his defence as Wolves bombarded Villa’s box with crosses.

James Bree - 7

It’s good to see one of Villa’s first team players keen to step down and play games. Bree acquitted himself well once again and looked solid in the hour or so he was on the field.

Easah Suliman - 8

Played his part in the first goal and stood up to a physical Wolves test. Suliman is getting better with each game.


James Finnerty - 8

A surprise inclusion for his first Premier League 2 start of the season but Finnerty was exceptional. Like Suliman, Finnerty stood strong as Wolves launched balls into the box in their search for an equaliser.



Oscar Borg - 7

Borg was again impressive and possesses real pace down the left. He overlapped well as Grealish cut inside and produced some telling crosses.

Jordan Lyden - 9

The captain was up for it from the off and let his opponents know he was there. A crunching early challenge saw him booked and he did well to avoid a second yellow in a heated battle.

Lyden took his goal brilliantly and now has five for the season.


Jake Doyle-Hayes - 8

Doyle-Hayes is only slight but he has the heart you’d associate with an Irishman. The Republic of Ireland under-21 international showed off his range of passes and delivered some decent corners and free-kicks.

Corey Blackett-Taylor - 7

Blackett-Taylor showed pace and skill but lacked a little bit of poise at times. He should have scored in the second half but fired over from close range.

Callum O’Hare - 8

Villa’s little magician stepped down from the first team to get some minutes under his belt and ran the show. You’ll have to search hard to find a more exciting talent in the Championship and his ability warrants more first team opportunities.


Jack Grealish - 7

A steady outing for Villa’s No.10 who will be plotting his first team return having came through unscathed under Steve Bruce’s watchful eye.

Grealish linked up particularly well with O’Hare and that could well be an exciting first team combination in the years to come.

Harry McKirdy - 8

This was arguably McKirdy’s best performance of the season. He took his goal well and could have had two more but was twice denied by Harry Burgoyne from point-blank range.


SUBS

Jordan Cox (for Grealish, 60) - 6

Offered pace and extra energy out wide.

Jacob Bedeau (for Bree, 63) - 7

The 17-year-old was solid and dependable as Wolves threw the kitchen sink at Villa in the second half.

Harvey Knibbs (for McKirdy, 85)

This must be extremely frustrating for O'Hare and Co. Week in and week out they seem to be putting in the performances and still they can hardly get a meaningful minute of 1st team action, Bruce would still rather play a Hutton out of position than give the like of Borg a chance.

I remember another skinny midfielder,  imo the best we have had Sid, Doyle-Hayes give him a chance

I am getting to the stage were I would like about 2 or 3 of them starting in the first team, O'Hare and Lydon and then perhaps some minutes to Borg and Doyle-Hayes, they certainly deserve it!

It was my first U23 game for some time and I agree with most of Alex Dickon's comments. For me Lyden should at least be on the bench for the first team. He adds more than Hourihohn IMO. Not so sure about Borg, he didn't instill that much confidence in me.

My main comment though would be about the tempo that they play at. Whilst the first team is one paced, the U23's are not, with some good injection of pace at times and some of the incisive close passing is good to see.

If Lyden was to replace anyone in the side it would have to be Whelan I imagine. Taking nothing away from Lyden, because he's been on form recently, but I personally think Doyle-Hayes is a class above him and he's three years younger, but Bruce might see Lyden as being more ready for the first team physically and because of having some experience of league football.

I'm sure I've read that villa are looking to send Lyden out on loan.

De Kuip wrote:I'm sure I've read that villa are looking to send Lyden out on loan.

That wouldn't surprise me, it doesn't make sense to me getting a midfield player in on-loan and sending your own promising midfield player out on loan? Still it is good that they are carrying out what they said at the beginning of the season to give youth a chance, oh they aren't Davies excepted!

O'Hare signs two year contract, just need Davis to sign now.

deadbuzzardalive wrote:O'Hare signs two year contract, just need Davis to sign now.

Good news, as said just need Davis to sign one now!

Grealish can plot his return to the first team all he likes but until he consistently rates higher than others in the U23 side, he and his stupid hair can stay right where he is.

What else can Lyden do to get a look-in on the first team?

Match report: Reading U23s 3-2 Aston Villa U23s

Game details

Match: Reading U23s v Aston Villa U23s
Date: October 23, 2017
Competition: Premier League 2
Venue: Madejski Stadium
Kick-off: 7pm
Weather: 15c, clear

Scoring summary

Barrett (2), House

O'Hare, McKirdy

Analysis

Villa U23s' five-match winning streak came to a halt after they narrowly missed out on a deserved point at Reading U23s.

Jack Grealish played 88 minutes a week after featuring for an hour against Wolves U23s to continue his strong recovery from injury.

The Young Lions started brightly at the Madejski Stadium when Callum O'Hare – currently a regular on Steve Bruce's first-team substitutes bench – tapped home Corey Blackett-Taylor's inch-perfect delivery.

Quickfire goals from Josh Barrett and Ben House then put the Royals in front, and it could have been game over at the break were it not for goalkeeper Jed Steer's penalty-saving heroics.

Villa did respond at the restart when Harry McKirdy beat a host of defenders and curled into the far corner to make it 2-2.

But Barrett struck again for Reading soon after with an unstoppable long-range effort – inflicting a rare defeat on Villa's stars of the future.

Line-ups

READING: Legg, Holmes, Medford-Smith, Andresson, Osho, East, Sheppard, Holsgrove, Barrett, Popa, House. Subs: Rosario, McIntyre, Frost, Rollinson, Howe.

ASTON VILLA: Steer, Clark, Bedeau, Suliman, Finnerty, Lyden, Doyle-Hayes, Blackett-Taylor, Grealish, McKirdy, O'Hare. Subs: Johanson, Mooney, Pastorek, Clarke, Prosser.

Put this into perspective for me. How good is PL2 compared to 1? Same difference between proper premier league and the Championship?

Premier League 2: Competition format explained
13/10/2017
Harry Wilson, Liverpool
New Under-23 competition's focus on technicality, physicaility and intensity gives a taste of the first-team experience

Premier League International Cup: Format explained
Youth
Premier League Cup: Format explained

Premier League 2 is a competition that replaced the Under-21 Premier League from 2016/17, with a greater focus on technicality, physicality and intensity to bring players as close to first-team experience as possible.

The age limit for players has risen from Under-21 to Under-23.

The league will take on the same format of two tiers, Division 1 and Division 2, with 12 teams in each, and the factor of promotion and relegation.

The 24 clubs who compete each applied for 'Category One' status in the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). There are 15 clubs from the Premier League and nine clubs from the Championship.

All players born after 1 January 1994 for the 2017/18 season are eligible to play, and the format stays as follows:

There are 12 teams in Division 1 and 12 in Division 2, with every club playing each other once at home and once away
In Division 1, the team who finish first are champions
The bottom two teams in Division 1 get relegated to Division 2
In Division 2, the league winners get automatic promotion to Division 1
Teams ranked second, third, fourth and fifth go into a promotion play-off
Second plays fifth place at home and third hosts fourth in the semi-finals, both at the club’s main stadium, while the final takes place at the home ground of the team who finished highest in the league
All play-off matches are one-off ties, decided by extra-time and then penalties if the match is level after 120 minutes
There is no relegation from Division 2

Other rules include:

Each team can field a goalkeeper over the age limit and up to three ‘over-age’ outfield players in every match
Each club must host at least three league matches at their main stadium during the course of the season, which helps to enhance the matchday experience for the players and fans.
Member clubs' training grounds or Academy venues will be permitted for the staging of up to three home matches over the course of the league season.
Everton secured the 2016/17 PL2 Division 1 title with a match to spare, while Swansea City won Division 2 by a margin of 11 points.

Manchester United were crowned champions in the competition's first season, when it replaced the Premier Reserve League in 2012/13, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in the final at Old Trafford.

Chelsea sealed the 2013/14 title with a 2-1 final victory over Man Utd at the same venue, before the Red Devils reclaimed the crown in 2014/15 and won it again in 2015/16.

Middlesbrough were the first Division 2 champions when promotion and relegation was introduced in 2014/15, before Derby County clinched the title in 2015/16.

Premier League 2

Teams in Division 1
Arsenal, Chelsea, Derby County, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Swansea City, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United

Teams in Division 2
Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Reading, Southampton, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Premier League 2 Division 1 winners

2016/17 Everton
2015/16 Manchester United
2014/15 Manchester United
2013/14 Chelsea
2012/13 Manchester United

Premier League Division 2 winners

2016/17 Swansea City
2015/16 Derby County
2014/15 Middlesbrough

so many people wanting to "change the team" by brining in some youngsters but when bruce does change a winning team he gets slated. say again, MAIN AIM IS PROMOTION.

He could start with the bench ,There is no one who could change a game, or add

villajk wrote:He could start with the bench ,There is no one who could change a game, or add

possibly but its also a risk, to be honest if I were bruce and was told we must be promoted this season then I would stick with a winning team and go with experience. I honestly would love to see more of the youth but I cant get past the thinking that we need to get promotion this season.

Do you think Thor adds anything

villajk wrote:Do you think Thor adds anything

from what I have seen not really but heskey never either but many managers seemed to know/see more than we did

Just beat Newcastle 6-0.

Lansbury with one, McKirdy with two (although it seems Doyle-Hayes might have scored one of 'his' goals) and a hat-trick for O'Hare, who has apparently being very good indeed, Grealish also getting a lot of praise for his performance on twitter.

Match report: Aston Villa U23s 6-0 Newcastle United U23s
Game details

Match: Aston Villa U23s v Newcastle United U23s
Date: October 30, 2017
Competition: Premier League 2
Venue: Banks's Stadium
Kick-off: 7pm
Weather: 7c, clear

Scoring summary

McKirdy, O'Hare (3), Lansbury, Doyle-Hayes

Analysis

Villa U23s romped to victory over Newcastle United in their latest Premier League 2 encounter, brushing the Magpies aside 6-0.

Harry McKirdy opened the scoring inside 10 minutes for his fourth goal in as many matches, before Callum O'Hare netted a first-half brace.

The returning Henri Lansbury then marked his comeback from injury with a goal and completed a solid 45 minutes in his first appearance since September.

O'Hare secured his hat-trick in the second half when he followed up his originally saved penalty to make it five for the Young Lions, and Jake Doyle-Hayes completed the rout late on.

Elsewhere on the pitch, Jack Grealish banked another 75 minutes to continue his recovery from a kidney injury.

Line-ups

ASTON VILLA: Johansson, Bree, Bedeau, Suliman, Clark, Lyden, Doyle-Hayes, Lansbury, Grealish, O'Hare, McKirdy. Subs: Idem, Blackett-Taylor, Clarke, Cox, Finnerty.

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Woodman, Sterry, Kitchen, Ward, Yarney, Gillesphey, Fernandez, Barlaser, Heardman, Roberts, Elmhanni. Subs: Harker, Bailey, Smith, Heaney, McNall.

Match report: Ipswich Town U23s 2-1 Aston Villa U23s

Game details

Match: Ipswich Town U23s v Aston Villa U23s
Date: November 6, 2017
Competition: Premier League Cup
Venue: Portman Road
Kick-off: 7pm
Weather: 5c, cloudy

Scoring summary

McKendry, Woolfenden

Knibbs

Analysis

Villa U23s fell to a late winner in their second Premier League Cup match of the season, going down 2-1 to Ipswich Town U23s at Portman Road.

The hosts were ahead inside five minutes through Conor McKendry, and the Young Lions had to weather the storm further throughout the first half.

Goalkeeper and captain Viktor Johansson pulled off some excellent saves to deny Town a second goal, which later proved important when Harvey Knibbs stroked the ball home from close range to make it 1-1.

Villa were on top for periods of the second half, but Ipswich edged in front with just minutes remaining on the clock – Luke Woolfenden grabbing the winner.

Kevin MacDonald's side now sit second in Group E, with the top two progressing to the next round of the Premier League Cup in the New Year.

Line-ups

IPSWICH TOWN: Gerken, D Crowe, Kenlock, Huws, Woolfenden, Webber, McKendry, McLoughlin, Folami, Rowe, Morris. Subs: Clements, M Crowe, Dobra, McGavin, Lankester.

ASTON VILLA: Johansson, Walker, Borg, Prosser, Finnerty, Bedeau, Cox, Clarke, Knibbs, Ramsey, Blackett-Taylor. Subs: Idem, Brunt, Patterson, Bazeley-Graham, Sea.

Looks like KMac gave some of the more peripheral players a run out if that line up is anything to go by.

Yes, it raises the question how do players like Elphick for instance get any match practice?