Latics teen may get another shot after trial strike
COVENTRY City may hand a second chance to impress to a Wigan Athletic teenager who scored the only goal for the Sky Blues Under23s in a 5-1 thumping by Barnsley.
Centre-forward Mwiya Malumo is currently an Under-18s player for newly-promoted League One Latics and was one of three trialists trying to impress at the Alan Higgs Centre.
The other two were a right winger from Reading Under-18s, Leon Okuboyejo, and a centre-half, understood to be from non-league Mickleover Sports, in a disappointing game that left development coach Jason Farndon so frustrated that he didn’t want to talk about it afterwards.
Barnsley took the lead midway through the first half at Allard Way through a trialist of their own, who beat Corey Addai in the home goal.
Amir Berhavitz then doubled the lead for the Tykes five minutes later, cutting inside his marker and curling into the top corner before a swift reply from the Sky Blues saw Malumo head home a rebound off the keeper after he’d made saves to deny Josh Eccles and Kyle Finn.
However, the 18-year-old’s goal counted for little as the visitors restored their two goal advantage with their own trialist grabbing a second before the break when Addai made a save from a free-kick but was unable to hold onto it, leaving the forward to nip in to convert the loose ball.
The Tykes added a fourth in the 69th minute when the impressive Berhavitz bagged his second when he was picked out in the box and finished from close range.
Addai got down low to deny the winger his hat-trick while his opposite number denied Eccles with a good save at the other end. But City’s keeper was punished late on when he hit a stray pass to Victor Adeboyeso who lifted the ball over him to seal the 5-1 hammering.
It is understood that Malumo – a stocky No.9 – was due to feature in Thursday’s last game of the season, a re-arranged Under-23s game against QPR.
Whether that situation has changed remains to be seen, while the fate of winger Okuboyejo and the centre-back is unclear at this stage.