Baby Whites defeated on home soil
Wanderers’ under-18 side suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa this weekend thanks to Jack Grealish’s second half hat trick.
The Baby Whites had started brightly and took an early lead through a deflected own goal, but the visitors responded with a tirade of pressure as the half drew to its conclusion and were rewarded shortly after the restart with a penalty that Grealish calmly dispatched past Harry Campbell.
Having pulled themselves back onto level terms, Tony McAndrew’s side pushed forward in a bid to take the lead and duly obliged through the 17-year-old winger with a well taken goal from just outside the area.
The goal appeared to breed confidence amongst the Villa side and Grealish completed his treble as he capitalised on a lapse in concentration from the Whites’ defence to round the Bolton goalkeeper and slot home from a matter of yards out.
With time running out Isaac Nelson did ensure a nervous finish to the clash as he bundled the ball home from close range to reduce the deficit, but the strike was ultimately in vain as the Villans held out for all three points.
The team will be looking to secure their first points of the season when they travel to the capital to take on Tottenham Hotspur following the international break.
Wanderers: Campbell, Hendrie, Gibson, Perry, Holding, Bailey, Thomas (Nelson), Cvetko, Torres (Abbotts), Newby, Walker