Niven’s hat-trick helps youngsters keep 100% start
BURTON Albion’s under-19s, officially known as the Professional Development Phase side, continued their own 100% start to the season with a 6-2 win away to Huddersfield Town in the EFL Youth Alliance.
A hat-trick from Callum Niven, who has netted five goals in the first two games of the season, complemented a brace from Joe Nyahwema and a strike from Charlie Williams, who was on the bench for the first team’s 2-1 win over Ipswich Town at the weekend.
Nyahwema, another scholar who has been named in a first team squad, opened the scoring with perhaps the pick of the goals, hitting a superb strike from the edge of the box into the top corner of the net after 15 minutes.
Niven added his first and Albion’s second 10 minutes before, then completing his hat-trick with two more within five minutes of the restart.
Nyahwema scored his second five minutes later before Williams added the sixth for the Brewers with 20 minutes still left.
This victory followed a 3-2 win over Harrogate Town a week before at St George’s Park.
Professional Development Phase lead coach Sam Rose said: “We’ve played two and won two. We’ve challenged the boys to have a focus on the outcome this season so to win the first two is really encouraging.
“It was a challenge because we were playing a team who wanted to play out from the back, keep the ball and move the ball, so you have got to get your shape right and press them.
“We scored some good goals and we’re disappointed to concede two in the way that we did, so the boys have some things to learn from that, but it’s been a good start.
“It’s about balancing performance and development but the performances have been good for the first couple of games and, hopefully, that can continue.”
Rose is also pleased to have seen Nyahwema, Williams and Ben Radcliffe being named in first team squads over the last week.
“The work that (academy manager) Dan Robinson is doing with the manager (Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink) to create opportunities for the young lads is important,” said Rose.
“We play behind closed doors games in training and we’ve already had some of the boys around the first team squad for the first couple of weeks. It’s been a good start for us.”
The Under-19s are next in action against Walsall in the EFL Youth Alliance Cup on Tuesday.