Youth football Takayo’s late strike wins it for Gloucestershire
TAKAYO Nembhard was the hero as Gloucestershrie Under-18s defeated their Birmingham counterparts 3-2 in the FA County Youth Cup at Oaklands Park.
Nembhard scored an injury-time winner to send his team into the fourth-round draw after a dramatic last few minutes
Gloucestershire started strongly in a game dominated by a fierce, swirling wind and were unlucky when a James Chell shot hit the post in the eighth minute.
The home side took the lead on 22 minutes when Harry Simons put pressure on the Birmingham goalkeeper, who had the ball at his feet. Simons won the ball with a good tackle, before turning and shooting into the open net
The conditions made good football difficult, but Birmingham right-back Nathaniel Christie nearly equalised before the break, only for his 20-yard shot to wide.
Birmingham started the second half well and pushed Gloucestershire back, with Josh Beard having a big influence in midfield. The hosts held out until the 60th minute when Daniel Hurst equalised with a deflected shot.
The visitors were now on top and looked the likely winners until an excellent move down the right ended with a hard low cross from Jay Murray being deflected into his own net by Birmingham goalkeeper Aiden Janes.
Some good defending kept Gloucestershire’s narrow lead intact until the 89th minute when Samuel Cudjue-Yankton blocked a clearance from Joe Wright and the ball trickled into the corner of the net to level the scores
The game was settled in the second of five minutes of injury-time when another excellent right-wing move ended with Nembhard’s dramatic winner. drift Action, above and below, from the Avon Youth League Under-15 Division One game between Keynsham (orange shirts) and Longwell Green Sports, who won 8-0 to move five points clear at the top of the table