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PNE U18 3 Rochdale U18 0
6 October 2019

With results elsewhere going their way, the youth team sealed their place in the regional quarter-finals of the Youth Alliance Cup with a 3-0 against Rochdale.

Ethan Walker, Tyrhys Dolan and Joe Rodwell-Grant struck gold to make it two wins from two for the young Lilywhites in Youth Alliance Cup Group 5, following their away win to Bradford City by the same scoreline in August.


With Bradford and Notts County drawing in the other group game on the same day, none of North End's group opponents can now surpass or even match the six points which Nick Harrison's team have attained, even with the trip to County still on the cards later this month.

It was a welcome return to winning ways for PNE's youngsters, who hadn't played since losing 4-0 to Fleetwood Town a fortnight previously, and there were two changes to the starting line-up from that game as Tyler Williams and Harry Huddart made way for Lincoln McFayden and Aaron Bennett.

North End's breakthrough came in first half stoppage time when a flying run into the box from Lewis Coulton was unfairly halted by a Rochdale defender and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Ethan Walker stepped up and confidently dispatched his effort from 12 yards into the top right corner, recording his sixth goal of the campaign.

It was two barely ten minutes into the second half, after Ben Dooley's right wing cross was cleared into Joe Nolan's path, who in turn touched it forwards for Dolan on the half turn.

He let the ball run across him and unleashed a fine first time strike back across goal and into the bottom left corner, taking his own tally for the season to four.

Rodwell-Grant made sure of the win in the final minute of normal time, his goal coming straight from Jimmy Corcoran's clearance out from the back, that clearing the Rochdale backline for the PNE frontman to run onto and guide into the same bottom left corner with a controlled finish.

Next up for the young Lilywhites is a trip to league newcomers Oldham Athletic. The Latics had previously played in the North East section of the EFL Youth Alliance conference but have this season joined the North West section.

Academy boss Nick Harrison believes the test of facing Oldham at U18 level can prove a positive one for the team.

"It’s a long time since the U18s have played Oldham because they went into a different region," he said.

"All our age groups play against Oldham from U9s to U16s, so we have had experience of playing against them from over the season, but I think it will be good for our current group of U18s to play against a different team, so it’s going to be a different challenge again.

"Oldham always have good players so we will expect a tough game, but we just want the players to go onto the pitch, work hard and perform well, and I thought they did that really well against Rochdale. We’ll be making sure that the players are prepared throughout the week and then it’s up to them to go and perform again."

PNE line-up: Corcoran; Dooley, Earl, McFayden, Coulton; Nolan, Dolan; Potts (Rahman, 77), Bennett (Rodwell-Grant), Walker; Holland-Wilkinson (Nicholson, 85). Subs not used: Lombard, Williams.

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Oldham Athletic U18 0 PNE U18 1

Ben Dooley’s first half wonder strike proved a decisive one as the youth team edged out Oldham Athletic with a 1-0 victory at Chapel Road Training Ground.

The midfielder’s first-time effort on the half volley 17 minutes into the contest came amid a series of seemingly clearer opportunities for the young Lilywhites, making the job of seeing out the win a more difficult one, but it was a test they overcame nonetheless.

It was a second consecutive win and clean sheet for North End’s youngsters, with Oliver Lombard and Harry Huddart replacing Jimmy Corcoran and Ethan Walker in the side that beat Rochdale last weekend.



The visitors were dominant throughout the first half and Louis Potts’ wing play down the right caused the Latics problems in the early stages.

Potts beat his marker to reach the byline and find the first glimpse of goal, but his pullback for Jacob Holland-Wilkinson was cut out by the Latics defence.

The Lilywhites hadn’t yet fully hit their stride when the opening goal came just after the quarter of an hour mark.

Lewis Coulton’s cross from the left was met by Potts’ initial touch, followed by a second to prod it back again for Dooley standing just outside the area, whose sweetly struck volley on his weaker left foot arrowed into the top left corner.

North End only got better from there and there was a chance almost straight after the restart, as Potts again delivered from the right but Holland-Wilkinson couldn’t get his head to the ball.

Midway through the half, Joe Nolan picked up play and sprayed a ball over the defence for Aaron Bennett to take down on his chest, with his left-footed effort into the ground turned behind by Latics stopper Ellis Allen.

Tyrhys Dolan was inches away from doubling the lead when his quick turn 20 yards from goal bought him some space, with his dipping low strike rebounding off the inside of the post and away.

Immediately after, there was a rare first half chance at the other end as Zak Emmerson broke into the box but shot wide of the far-left corner.

Lewis Earl also stung Allen’s gloves before the break when he ran onto a loose ball some 30 yards out and fired for goal first time, with the Latics goalkeeper again palming wide.

Allen’s best work came in the final five minutes of the half, with Holland-Wilkinson going through on goal on three separate occasions but denied each time by the home ‘keeper.

The hosts came out a different side in the second half, in part thanks to the half-time introductions of Jack Williams and Junior Luamba, although their pressure didn’t immediately lead to chances on goal.

Oldham had to wait for 20 second half minutes for one of those, with Emmerson looking to have profited from a loose back pass as he was first denied by Lombard when through on goal, before Earl got back to block the second attempt almost on the line.

Bennett and Williams exchanged shots which each ‘keeper saw struck straight at them, with time still allowing more one for more clear chance for the home side.

It was in the 79th minute, when Williams crossed low to the back post where Emmerson was sliding in, but he couldn’t tuck inside the near post and instead converted wide.

North End defended resolutely thereafter to make it back-to-back victories and clean sheets and Academy manager Nick Harrison agreed that his side were beginning to rediscover the winning mentality which saw them start the campaign in such a rich vein of form.

“I think we have got that winning habit, but we’ve also got the ability to perform well, which is important, certainly for the development of these players,” he told the club website.

“I felt we played some really good football in the game and the first half was the best I’ve seen us for a long time.

“The players now need to keep building on that and believing in themselves by going into the next game with the objective of winning the game but performing well, too.”

Nick was impressed by his side’s showing at both ends of the pitch, despite the belief that more goals could’ve been scored in that dominant first half.

“The first half performance was outstanding and we should have been three or four nil up. Going in at half-time at 1-0 gives the opposition some belief and to be fair, they came at us.

“We actually had a couple of chances ourselves in the second half where we could have finished it off as well. I’m delighted that we’ve won the game, that’s important for the players, and I’m delighted we kept a clean sheet.

“It was an unbelievable strike from Ben to score the goal which wins us the game. We should have scored more in that first half, but that’s what it takes to win sometimes – a bit of quality.

“I felt they threw everything at it in the second half and I felt Oliver [Lombard], our young goalkeeper, made some great saves and came for crosses, and we won our headers from the corners or free-kicks that we gave away, so we showed great character.”

PNE line-up: Lombard; Huddart, Earl, McFayden, Coulton; Nolan, Dooley; Potts (Rahman, 61), Dolan, Bennett; Holland-Wilkinson (Rodwell-Grant, 72). Subs not used: Nicholson, Corcoran, Williams.

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Lancashire cup game against Barrow 13/11/19 At Springfields

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Fulham home
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Carlisle United U18 1 PNE U18 3
2 November 2019

Jacob Holland-Wilkinson scored two headers as the youth team made it four matches without defeat in seeing off Carlisle United with a 3-1 win at Creighton Rugby Club.

The first year scholar twice nodded home inside the closing stages of the first half before Lewis Earl completed the visitors’ scoring right on the stroke of half-time.

The Cumbrians had a chance to pull one back from the spot just after the hour mark, but Jimmy Corcoran was equal to the 12-yard effort, and although the home side did reduce the deficit 15 minutes later, it wasn't enough to prevent North End holding out for an impressive away victory.

Academy manager Nick Harrison made three changes to the side that drew with Walsall a fortnight ago, with goalscorers Earl and Holland-Wilkinson returning to the side along with Lewis Coulton, who was back in the fold after a week in the Scotland youth set-up.

It proved to be a dominant opening 45 minutes from the young Lilywhites, but they did not take the lead until the 27th minute.

The opener came from a Coulton throw to Tyrhys Dolan on the left flank, who niggled away from his marker and crossed to the far post, where Holland-Wilkinson planted a header back across goal to break the deadlock.

The recently turned 17-year-old forward doubled his and the team’s tally just 12 minutes later, when he brilliantly readjusted to meet Joe Rodwell-Grant’s delivery, this time coming the right flank, to head into the roof of the net from minimal distance.

And there was time for a third before the break when Tyler Williams kept the ball alive from a corner to nod into Earl’s path, who slammed home with a real striker’s finish to ensure the Lilywhites went into the break in a commanding position.

There was a chance for the Cumbrians to pull one back on 61 minutes when they were awarded a penalty. Fortunately, Republic of Ireland youth international stopper Corcoran saved from the spot.

The hosts did pull one back a quarter of an hour later, but PNE held on for a fine away victory, and now have three wins and one draw to their name from the last four.

The youth team have another fairly lengthy away trip in store next weekend, taking on Notts County in their final group game in the Youth Alliance Cup, a competition in which PNE have already qualified for the regional quarter-finals.

PNE line-up: Corcoran; Huddart, Williams, Earl, McFayden (Rahman, 46); Nolan, Dooley (McManus, 46); Holland-Wilkinson (Potts, 68), Dolan, Coulton (Blanchard, 74); Rodwell-Grant. Subs not used: Lombard.

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Notts County U18 0 PNE U18 1

Joe Rodwell-Grant scored the only goal of the game as the youth team beat Notts County 1-0, ensuring they finished their Youth Alliance Cup group with a maximum nine points.

The first year scholar struck within three minutes of kick-off and that proved enough for North End’s youngsters to make it three wins out of three in their group.

Qualification to the regional quarter-finals of the competition had already been sealed prior to this game, but Academy manager Nick Harrison named a strong starting line-up nonetheless.

There were four changes to the team which beat Carlisle United last weekend as Oliver Lombard, Kyi Nicholson, Brian McManus and Hafizul Rahman replaced Jimmy Corcoran, Harry Huddart, Lewis Earl and Ben Dooley from the start.

The decisive goal came after just three minutes, thanks to the sharpness and alterness of Rodwell-Grant, who intercepted a pass from the County goalkeeper inside the opposition area and the outcome was never in doubt – the 17-year-old finishing emphatically to score.

The Lilywhites were able to see out their win from there and all five travelling substitutes – even goalkeeper Connor Eastham – got some game time on the pitch.

Eastham was one of four schoolboys on the bench, with Aaron Bennett, Lucas Kirnon and Lewis Leigh all also coming off the bench for PNE, along with first year scholar Dooley.

It is the third season in a row in which North End's youngsters have won away at Notts County in this competition.

The youth team recently learned their fate in the FA Youth Cup with a home tie against Bristol City at Deepdale having been drawn, and we will also have news of the young Lilywhites’ next opponents in this competition, the Youth Alliance Cup, on @pnefcacademy on Twitter as soon as we have it.

In the meantime, North End’s youngsters can next look forward to welcoming Shrewsbury Town to UCLan Sports Arena next weekend, as they return to North West Youth Alliance league action in an 11am kick-off.

PNE line-up: Lombard (Eastham, 72); Nicholson (Dooley, 63), Williams, McFayden, Coulton (Coulton, 46); Nolan (Leigh, 75), McManus; Holland-Wilkinson (Kirnon, 63), Dolan, Rahman; Rodwell-Grant.

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