Weston’s young XI in the first half put in a strong performance against Bristol City U18s, however the first team were unable to kill the game off in a disappointing second half.
With Clevedon Town manager Mickey Bell, former Weston head of youth Jon Haile and current Bristol City head of academy Brian Tinnion watching on from the sidelines, the young Weston side that started the game quickly sprung into action. A corner was drifted into the box, with U19 midfielder Cory Thomas-Barker rising to nod the ball back across the area. Former Seagulls striker, and trialist for the evening, Jake Harris was on hand to nod home from a few yards out.
Weston were two up on the half hour mark when a dinked ball up the line from Dan Ferguson fell for strike Brad Ash. The loanee from Boreham Wood bamboozled his marker and finished coolly past the keeper to double Weston’s advantage.
Liam Kingston was picking the ball out of his net seven minutes into the second half when a poor backpass was latched upon and slotted past the teenage shot-stopper to halve the deficit.
A shot after a teasing cross was poked straight into Kingston’s midriff, before Gethyn Hill’s shot was deflected wide for a corner after he had been fed in down the channel by Jarrad Welch.
Kingston held a shot from 20 yards, with Welch curling just wide from the same position down the other end after Jake Lee had brought down an away clearance and found the Welsh playmaker.
Kingston got down well to hold a shot from 20 yards, before Hill nodded over the bar after a delightful Louis McGrory cross. The Welsh forward should have netted after a driving run from Eli Phipps, but last season’s top scorer had his left footed strike deflected out for a corner.
City levelled when a cross into the box was flicked in by the forward’s heel as he ran towards the near post, with Kingston unable to pick the ball out of the net.
The visitors took a surprising lead when the ball was played through towards one of their forwards, and he slotted past Kingston and into the corner to win the game for the young side.
FT: Weston 2 – 3 Bristol City U18s (Harris 10, Ash 30 – 52, 81, 86)
Weston 1st Half XI: Kingston, Palmer, Byrne, Goodall, Morris-Edwards, Harris, Thomas-Barker, Ash, Ferguson, Parkinson-Harvey, Llewellyn.
Weston 2nd Half XI: Kingston, Byrne, Bower, Morris-Edwards, Lee, Welch, Phipps, Hill, Swallow, Lucas, McGrory.
MOTM: Jack Goodall – For the first 45 minutes, the right-back accustomed well to his centre-back position, heading away crosses, reading play well and winning his tackles. Brave performance from the defender.