The U21s started life under Julian Darby with an impressive work-out and comfortable win in their first game with the new boss in charge, writes Pete Oliver.
Club stalwart Darby has stepped up from the U18s to lead the academy’s senior side and a polished performance against a side from the North-West Counties League Premier Division was the perfect ice-breaker.
It wasn’t too tough a test on a hot afternoon at Inglewhite Road but all 23 players used put in a decent shift as Wanderers’ young professionals and the predominantly youth-team line-up that replaced them at the break all did what was asked of them in their opening pre-season friendly.
Three first-half goals from a trialist, Sam O’Neill and David Abimbola made the win a formality and Darby’s side could have enjoyed twice that advantage at the end of a one-sided opening 45-minutes.
The second-half line-up wasn’t quite so prolific but still didn’t give Longridge a sight of goal in a first public work-out of the summer which continued the positive impression the squad has given Darby since returning to training a fortnight ago.
“It was ideal really for the first game,” said a satisfied Darby after a fourth goal from a second trialist had wrapped up victory. “It was more of a fitness session really, just to get the lads started again, but everyone got lots of touches of the ball and everyone had a good run around.
“We won, we scored three goals up to half-time – and could and probably should have had more – and then the under-18s came on second half and finished it off by winning the second half as well.
“They've been excellent since they came back. Very enthusiastic, fitter than how they came back last year and the pleasing thing was that they went forward with a purpose today. We want to entertain people and excite people if we can.
“There’s a long season ahead of us, but we'll just keep building and hopefully the lads enjoy it and they get better and better and make a living in the game.”
Wanderers dictated from the start and were ahead after just five minutes when a trialist right-back took his chance to drill home the opener. The second goal, less than 10 minutes later, also came from a defender as O’Neill stayed up following a corner to meet Toby Ritchie’s perfect cross with a volleyed, side-foot finish from close in.
Longridge struggled to cope with Wanderers energy, movement and speed of pass and as the Whites kept pouring forward, Harry Leigh released Abimbola to make it 3-0 as he raced clear and kept his composure to round the keeper and slot home ahead of the first hydration break of the afternoon.
Abimbola might have had a hat-trick before half-time, while Conor Lewis and Daeshon Lawrence also put efforts just over the top as Wanderers played almost all the game in the Town half.
The Whites then changed it around at the break with 11 substitutions and the introduction of their second-year scholars and a couple more trialists.
One of the trialists added the fourth with a tidy finish and the Whites didn’t let up as their younger age group also enjoyed their moment in the sun. Oliver Best made a couple of timely runs from midfield to threaten a goal, captain Lucas Kirkpatrick also had a chances to score and the lively Denver Clement was denied a fifth by the width of a post as the Whites got up and running in useful fashion.
Starting XI: Lomax, Trialist, Mawditt, Oliver, O’Neill, Irwin (c), Lewis, Leigh, Abimbola, Ritchie, Lawrence.
Second-half XI: Shillinglaw, Quirk, Lamb, Healy, Evans, Hopkinson, Kirkpatrick (c), Best, Clement, Trialist, Trialist (Coyne 68)