Under-18s forced to settle for a point after six-goal thriller

Our Under-18s were forced to settle for a point against Southampton on Saturday afternoon after a late Saints penalty saw us held to a 3-3 draw in the Under-18 Premier League.

Tynan Thompson opened the scoring from close range to give us the lead 35 minutes in and Luca Williams-Barnett doubled our advantage in first-half stoppage time with a composed dink over a stranded Oscar Abbotson in the Southampton goal.

The second half saw Korban McMullan pull one back for the hosts before the hour mark, and Williams-Barnett fire a penalty over the crossbar to deny us a chance to restore the two-goal lead. Sufiano Dibaga managed to draw the south coast side level with four minutes to play, before an instant response from substitute Herbie James put us back in front late on.

Despite looking like we'd secured all three points there was another twist, as a Saints penalty was saved by Sam Archer but the rebound was tucked home by Nicholas Oyekunle and the spoils were shared.

An even first half at Staplewood saw the hosts fashion the first chance, as a cross was drilled across the six-yard box from the left wing, but was just ahead of an arriving Oyekunle. Six minutes in and it was Williams-Barnett who got our first sight of goal, but his effort was deflected wide, before George Feeney's relentless pressing nearly paid off when he won the ball on the edge of the box, but Eliis Lehane's subsequent chance was saved. Stuart Lewis' side stepped into the ascendency, as Jun'ai Byfield played a ball over the top to Lehane, who was taken down on the edge of the area, with Harry Byrne - on his first Under-18 Premier League start - seeing his free-kick deflected over. Feeney then won a free-kick out on the right wing, again Byrne stood over it and won a corner and Williams-Barnett whipped in a dangerous in-swinger, but it was palmed away by the Saints goalkeeper.

Jamel Beggs was next to have a shot on goal, as his volley was saved by Abbotson, before Archer was called into action at the other end to cut out the resulting counter-attack. Byrne had a go from distance just before the half-hour mark, but his effort fizzed past the far post, before Lehane's darting run worked him into the left side of the area, again forcing a strong save from the Southampton keeper.

With 35 minutes on the clock, the deadlock was finally broken when Lehane took aim from the edge of the area, his shot was deflected into the path of Thompson who tucked it into the bottom left corner to give us the lead with his first competitive goal at this level. A loose back-pass then sent Archer scrambling across his six-yard box, but Korban McMullan fired the chance over for the hosts.

In first-half stoppage time Williams-Barnett then doubled our lead. Archer cut out a Southampton attack with a superb sliding challenge, which played the ball to Beggs who played a perfectly-weighted through ball in to Williams-Barnett, he charged onto the end of it and dinked it over the keeper from inside the box.

Lehane had our first sight of goal in the second half as a free-kick on the left was switched to the right and cut back to him, but Abbotson was out quickly to challenge him and the resulting scamble was cleared. The hosts then pulled one back when a sustained period of pressure didn't allow us to clear the ball, McMullan was played into the area and poked it past Archer.

We had two penalty claims waved away on the hour mark, two minutes before Oyekunle curled an effort just over the bar at the other end. Feeney then beat his man down the right and linked up with Williams-Barnett, the latter played it over the top to Thompson down the left, whose cut-back was just ahead of three arriving Spurs players.

Three minutes later Byrne won it back on the left wing and played it in to Williams-Barnett who had a go from distance, but his effort sailed past the far post, before Feeney was involved again, linking up with Miracle Adewole and substitute Reiss Elliott-Parris down the right to win a corner, which was headed over by Malachi Hardy.

Archer was called into action again 75 minutes in, producing a strong save low to his right, the resulting corner came straight back to him which allowed him to launch Thompson forward on the counter. A neat one-two saw him cut it back across the box to Elliott-Parris who was brought down in the area and after the referee pointed to the spot, Williams-Barnett stepped up from 12 yards but fired his penalty over.

He tried to make up for it five mintues later with a darting run that beat four Saints players, he fired towards the top left corner from the edge of the area forcing a good save from Abbotson.

Dibaga then levelled the game when he fired into the roof of the net from close range with just four minutes to play, but we instantly restored our lead as Elliott-Parris charged down the right from kick-off and squared it to James, who made no mistake from close range.

With it looking like all three points were secure, there was one final twist, as three minutes into stoppage time Southampton were awarded a penalty. Archer pulled off another superb save low to his right, but the rebound fell kindly for Oyekunle, who tucked it home to secure a share of the points for his side.