Under-18s suffer defeat at Fulham

Our Under-18s succumbed to a 6-0 defeat away at Fulham in the Under-18 Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Our hosts enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges before breaking the deadlock on 32 minutes with Terrell Works winning and then dispatching a penalty. In the space of four minutes, they were three to the good with Oliver Gofford (33) and Aaron Loupalo-Bi (36) finding the target. On the stroke of half-time it  was 4-0 as Loupalo-Bi added his second, effectively putting the game out of our reach with the second 45 minutes still to play.

We did show fight in the second period and managed to contain our opponents for much of the half but then, on the stroke of full-time, we suffered further damage as the Whites struck twice more, substitute Callum Osmand with both.

Fulham started on the front foot at their Motspur Park training centre and remained there for much of the game. Within the the opening 10 minutes, both Gofford and Loupalo-Bi went close before Luca Gunter showed his alertness on 21 minutes to race off his line and deny Loupalo-Bi as the striker burst through our back line and attempted to round the goalkeeper.

We then had half-chances for both Mikey Moore and Jaden Williams, but that was as good as it got for us in west London.

On 32 minutes, Jahziah Linton got the wrong side of Works in the box and clipped the winger as he looked to get through on goal. The referee pointed to the spot and Works stepped up to send Gunter the wrong way and open the scoring.

As quick as a flash it was 3-0 as, just a minute after opening the scoring, the ball was pulled across our box for Gofford to slot home before, on 36 minutes, Gunter did well to initially deny Loupalo-Bi as he tried to round him once more, but the forward was the first to the loose ball, swivelled before firing home into the roof of the net. In the first minute of injury time, our opponents then added their fourth as Loupalo-Bi again split our defence before picking out the far corner of the net for his second.

After the break, the striker should have gone on to complete his hat-trick, but more heroics from Gunter denied him that on 51 minutes. He then scooped over from the angle on the hour mark.

We enjoyed much more of the possession in the second half but couldn't make that count, nor could we really test goalkeeper Alfie McNally as the hosts continued to dominate. And that was evident right to the last as, in the final minute of the game, substitute Osmand, who replaced Loupalo-Bi, fired home the Whites' fifth. Two minutes later, he compounded our misery, firing home his second to complete a quickfire double and add a sixth for his side.