Following our U18s’ emphatic 7-2 victory over Ipswich Town, an elated Josh McKay spoke of his pleasure at his team’s relentlessness in the final third.
Jonathan Bland bagged a brace, while Matty Doyle, Josiah Dyer, Leo Farrell, Hayden Pickard and McKay were also on the score sheet in a stunning display.
“It was a professional performance from the boys,” he beamed. “We’ve had a few draws and losses recently, so it was an amazing feeling for us to score seven goals and grab the all-important three points.”
A wing-back by trade, McKay added a fourth goal to his team’s tally with a thunderous half-volley to beat Alan Fleischer.
The 18-year-old struck just after the hour mark, skipping past the defender with ease before lashing into the far corner.
“It felt great to be back on the scoresheet,” he smiled. “It was my first goal since the FA Youth Cup back in November, so I’m buzzing to be back amongst the goals. It wasn’t a bad strike either, so I’m delighted.”
Despite sitting in a comfortable position at the top of the Professional Development League table, our youngsters are eager to improve their goal difference and continue the momentum into their remaining fixtures.
McKay believes this performance will spur them on to continue their ascendancy and extend their lead at the summit.
“We’ve been working hard to get back to where we were before Christmas,” he insisted. “We needed to be more ruthless in the two boxes and I think we did that. We outplayed and out pressed them. It feels good to get back to winning ways.
“It’s vital that we continue with this intensity. We need to keep this standard up for the rest of the season. Every game matters, every goal matters, every win matters. It’s important that we carry on the momentum into the games we’ve got left and finish the season on a high.”
