FA youth cup - Arsenal vs Middlesbrough 15/02/00

FA Youth Cup, semi-final 1st leg

Tue 21st March 2000

Arsenal 1 (1) Middlesbrough 0 (0)

Result : Arsenal               (1) 1  Middlesbrough            (0) 0
Scorers: Noble 20

Arsenal: Graham Stack; Moritz Volz, Liam Chilvers, John Halls, Niccolo Galli;
         Rohan Ricketts, David Noble, Declan Field, Jermaine Pennant;
         Jay Bothroyd, Graham Barrett
         Subs: Jerome Thomas (Field 68), Joe Kuffour (Barrett 75),
               Ben Chorley, Stephen Sidwell, Craig Holloway
         Booked: Bothroyd

M'Boro: Brad Jones; Adam McMahon, Liam Smith, Stuart Parnaby, Aron Wilford;
        Stephen Brackstone, Luke Wilkshire, Andrew Burton, Craig Dove;
        Carlos Marinelli, Gerard Robinson
        Subs: Philip Gulliver (Burton 74), Brian Close (Marinelli 87),
              Leon Ryan (Robinson 90), Richard Skirving, Sam Russell
        Booked: Wilford, Dove, Marinelli, Smith

Att: 2653
Ref: T Parkes (Handsworth)

Another strong performance by the Arsenal under 18 team at Highbury last night, though once again their dominance wasn't rewarded by the goals it deserved. In the first half particularly Arsenal created numerous chances but only had one goal to show for it. The second half was a much more scrappy affair which only really came to life again in the final 15 minutes.

Arsenal might have been 2 or 3 up in the opening 15 minutes. Early on Barrett turned a defender on the left and sent over a cross which a defender just got a head to in front of Bothroyd in the middle. From the corner Noble picked out Galli making a near post run, but totally unmarked from about 4 yards he put his header over the bar.

Soon afterwards Bothroyd missed an equally good chance when Pennant clipped over a superb little cross from the right which picked out the striker unmarked on the 6yd line, but he mistimed his header and the ball bounced down into the ground and over the bar again. Bothroyd then had a good run down the left, cut in across the area, but on his weaker right foot delayed getting a shot away until the Boro defence eventually crowded him out.

The pressure eventually told though and Arsenal did get that elusive goal. Bothroyd again cut in from the left before slipping a pass square to Barrett a few yards outside the area. Barrett laid it back first time for Noble to run onto, and the midfielder took a touch before lashing in a tremendous left footer from 25 yards which the keeper got a hand to but couldn't keep it from nestling in the corner of the net.

Arsenal continued to dominate and press forward. Galli had another good chance, this time from a Pennant right wing corner, spinning away at the back post to get in another unmarked header. This time he got it on target but the keeper was well positioned and made a great save. The young Italian also had another chance from a corner late in the half when the ball dropped to him about 10 yards out, but this time he stabbed a shot over the bar.

The catalogue of first half chances continued to mount. Barrett put a glancing header from another Pennant cross narrowly wide of the near post and into the side netting. Bothroyd was put through into the area (I think by Rickett's pass), appeared to be tripped as he turned a defender, but with only the keeper to beat got quickly to his feet. Jones though did well to hold him up and when Bothroyd eventually got a shot away the keeper did well to block and hold on to the ball. The final close call of the half came when Noble tried a speculative first time shot from 25 yards which the keeper stood and watched as it went narrowly past the angle.

Middlesbrough only really vaguely threatened once in the first half when Marinelli (I think) got round Chilvers on the right, but his cross sailed over the head of the one Boro shirt in the middle.

The second half was a much more uneventful affair as Middlesbrough dug in and concentrated on stopping Arsenal play. In the first 25 minutes or so the only chance of note came when Field went on a good run, cutting in from the left. He was eventually stopped on the edge of the area but the ball ran through for Barrett, but his desperate lunge just failed to get on the end of it as the keeper came out.

Things livened up after the introduction of the two Arsenal substitutes, Thomas first coming on for Field, to be followed a few minutes later by Kuffour replacing the injured Barrett. First Thomas almost got on the end of another superb Pennant cross from the right, and then Thomas had a real chance when Kuffour (I think) laid the ball into his path following a bit of a goalmouth scramble. Thomas was left with only the keeper to beat from an angle about 10 yards out on the left, but lashed a left foot shot straight at the keeper.

In the closing few minutes Chilvers went on a long diagonal run from left back, eluding several tackles as he got to the edge of the area, but again he neglected to shoot and the ball eventually got away from him. Thomas also had a similar run, but he too failed to get a shot away. Pennant then got round the left back on the right and got free to the byline, but his cutback was just nicked off Bothroyd's toe by a defender.

In injury time Arsenal mounted a last bit of sustained pressure with a series of corners, but though there was a bit of a scramble following a couple of them, the ball didn't quite fall Arsenal's way and the keeper was able to claim it each time.

It was a virtually totally dominant performance by the Arsenal youngsters. One goal might seem a slender lead to take into the second leg, but on the form of the two teams last night I can't really see Arsenal losing it. Middlesbrough did come a bit more into the match in the 2nd half but the only time I can remember them even having a half chance was late on when the striker Robinson got away from Volz. He should have been clear with only the keeper to beat but his first touch was far too heavy and the ball ran comfortably through to Stack.

The most impressive player on view last night was once again David Noble, who gave another performance full of class. Two good feet, vision, a range of passing to match, and a good tackler, I'd be surprised if he doesn't start breaking into the first team within a year or so if he continues this rate of progress - him and Vieira in Arsenal's midfield in a couple of years I could get quite excited about.

Pennant also had a good game last night - I thought he was more involved and played much better than in the previous couple of youth cup games I've seen this season. Barrett also gave another good performance full of intelligent running and nice touches, and the other player to impress was Ricketts who I thought had a quietly tidy and effective game alongside Noble in midfield. Bothroyd showed some of the usual tricks and touches and did work quite hard on occasion, but his somewhat lackadaisical nature also showed at times.

Galli and Halls both looked solid and composed, but were rarely tested. I wasn't as impressed with Volz this time round, who had a reasonable game but not quite as eye-catching as the last time I saw him, and he seemed to struggle for pace on occasion against Boro's left winger. The only real weakness in the Arsenal team last night was on the left, where Chilvers (normally a right footed centre half who's impressed there in the past) was playing out of position, though to be fair he was solid enough defensively, and Field (also a right footer) had one of those games where nothing much seemed to be going for him (and he was getting very frustrated as a result).

Derek

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