U 18 Final @ Fulham this Sunday

[maffff]

Why doesn't everyone who's 'boycotting' the West Ham match go to Craven Cottage instead

That's my plan!

[ZacNaloen]

Definitely going to be there.

[windermere_royal]

10 minutes in, any updates?

[Unbelievable Jeff]

10 minutes in, any updates?

1-0 Down

[Unbelievable Jeff]

2-0 now Dembele with both

[RedRum]

Sound like typical Reading players, bottling the big games

Dembele sounds like one heck of a player though - basically carrying that team

[glass half full]

Sound like typical Reading players, bottling the big games

Dembele sounds like one heck of a player though - basically carrying that team

'Early doors' yet...

[Unbelievable Jeff]

SO CLOSE! Reading smash the woodwork twice in quick succession! Agonising for #readingfc #BU18PL

[sandman]

3-0 Dembele hat trick.

Oh well, one more game and this awful season is over.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Game over for Reading. Dembele grabs his hat-trick. Well done for getting to the final though lads

[urz13]

Second best team in the country. Not bad!

[SCIAG]

Fulham would win if they were allowed to play an overage Tottenham player.

[ScottishRoyal]

I popped along as I live locally and was really impressedwith the quality of play from both sides. Every one of our players looked very comfortable on the ball, this leant itself to a really passing game that i'm sure Adkins will be keen to see. The full-backs got forward and overlapped a lot and the centre backs also ran with the ball well, showed great range of passing and started off some lovely moves.

Our captain (Kuhl?) played the anchor role well getting in some good taclkes and linking play. The number 10, though quiet with the exception of a fantastic free kick, also looked to be a very neat player that could come good for the first team. All in all a very promising group of youngsters (many with more natural ability than some first team incumbents), it bodes well for the future.

[Gav]

I popped along as I live locally and was really impressedwith the quality of play from both sides. Every one of our players looked very comfortable on the ball, this leant itself to a really passing game that i'm sure Adkins will be keen to see. The full-backs got forward and overlapped a lot and the centre backs also ran with the ball well, showed great range of passing and started off some lovely moves.

Our captain (Kuhl?) played the anchor role well getting in some good taclkes and linking play. The number 10, though quiet with the exception of a fantastic free kick, also looked to be a very neat player that could come good for the first team. All in all a very promising group of youngsters (many with more natural ability than some first team incumbents), it bodes well for the future.

Who was our number 3? The left back..? Very impressed with him; got forward very well (although seemed to have an invisible line he dared not cross)

Like number 4 in the middle too, seemed to be doing the work of two players.

Uche's threat completely nullified by their awesome number 5... That guy looked like he wasn't even trying; never put a foot wrong.

Our number 11 had a great cross on him... Drifted in and out, but liked his style.

Their number 9 and of course Dembele also really shone. The number nine looked a very gifted playmaker.

All in all we were unlucky not to score in the end, but Fulham looked comfortably the better side throughout with some really top players. We played some slick stuff, but against Fulham's organised defence, we had no real idea how to get through. Future looks very bright though!

[winchester_royal]

Shane Griffin is the left back, Kuhl would have been no. 4, Fosu-Henry no. 11

[Gav]

Cheers! Don't suppose you wrote the rest down?

[maffff]

11 Fosu-Henry looked our biggest threat for most of the game and linked up nicely with our 3, Griffin. His decision making let him down on numerous occasions and he often played the wrong pass, sometimes due to going down blind alleys or just not having any options available.

Griffin (3) was probably our best player, comfortable on the ball, supported the attack.

Tanner (10) had a poor game by his standards and spent a lot of it rotating with Jack Stacey (7) between who was up top and who was in midfield/on the wing. Tanner seemed to have a lot of freedom to roam. Stacey looked talented but needs to learn how to play to the last defender. Constantly offside. Tanner slipped at the vital moment a few times (the pitch looked very slippery) and he managed to put a few nice crosses in.

Kuhl (4? - hair like a poodle) started brightly but flagged really early and looked exhausted by about 60 minutes. Noticed he had strapping on one of his knees, so perhaps that explains that. As Kuhl got quieter they started to overrun the midfield. Liam Kelly (8) was alongside him and looked quite tidy too, comfortable on the ball but very small in stature and very lightweight, got bullied a bit. Fulham were very quick to close down.

Dom Hyam (CB) was quiet until towards then end of the match, reminded me a bit of Morro, looks comfortable on the ball and kept trying to bring it up the pitch, towards the end of the game he was playing as an attacking midfield at times.

Dan Lincoln (gk) impressed me. Looked quite small in stature and couldn't do a lot about the goals but made a few nice saves and seemed to be quite authoratative, impressed me with his closing down in one on ones.

Our right back (can't remember who that was) had a torrid time against Dembele in the first half, looked good going forward but very shaky at the back and pulled Sean Long out of position a few times when Dembele was on him. The right back seemed to get a lot of stick from Dolan and Dodds to support the man on the ball and push forward, but seemed very hesitant at times. (Long seemed to quietly go about with business) He seemed to have more luck against their other attackers when Dembele went more central. After the first half hour Dembele seemed to be very quiet except for when he popped up with the goals.

Their number 5 was an absolute beast. Kept Uche Ikpeazu quiet all game, who was probably the biggest disappointment.

Overall the score is probably fair, first half 2-0 was a little harsh, but they overran us at times by the end. Dembele was the difference between it being 3-0 and a pretty even game which would probably have ended with a narrow home win.

[maffff]

Cheers! Don't suppose you wrote the rest down?

The team was

1) Lincoln
RB
Long
6?) Hyam
3) Griffin
11) Fosu-Henry
4) Kuhl
8) Kelly
7) Stacey
10) Tanner
9) Ikpeazu

[ZacNaloen]

Their No.5 looked about 25, HUGE

Uche and Cooper are big but still look young, this guy just looked fully grown.

[Simon's Church]

Moussa Dembele's only 16, scored a hat-trick against us in the league game too. Not bad.