A blistering first-half in which Marcello Trotta scored a 15-minute hat-trick set Fulham on the road to a comfortable defeat of Bolton Wanderers at Motspur Park on Tuesday evening.
The Italian striker netted his first after just four minutes when he turned in Alex Kacaniklic’s low centre after the Swedish winger flew past two Bolton defenders with a powerful burst from the flank.
From the re-start the visitors responded intently and Fulham needed Neil Etheridge to make a stunning diving stop, pushing Michael O’Halloran’s close range strike on to the post.
However, just two minutes later Billy McKinlay’s side were underlining their ruthlessness in front of goal once more with Trotta taking Tom Donegan’s clipped pass on his chest and lashing home from just inside of the Bolton box.
Donegan then went from goal provider to goal scorer moments later, meeting another inviting pass from Kacaniklic with a strike that cannoned in off the crossbar.
Trotta completed his hat-trick on the quarter-hour mark adding the finishing touch to a clever break by rolling the ball past Jay Lynch with customary composure.
Kacaniklic forced Lynch into a decent save, from which Bjorn Helge Riise smashed the post from the rebound, while Alex Smith drew another stop from the Bolton stopper following a delightful first time pass from Marcel Gecov.
The impressive Josh Passley then broke from the back and swept a fine pass over the visiting defence and into the path of Trotta. The striker looked up and squared for Kacaniklic to knock in goal number five.
With the half coming to an end there was no relenting from the home side, who compounded Bolton’s misery further with Bjorn Helge Riise racing clear down the right and picking out Trotta for his fourth and the Whites’ sixth with unerring accuracy.
To their credit, Bolton started the second half with surprising vigour with Fulham pushed on to the defensive as Etheridge made one stunning stop to deny Tom Eckersley’s towering header and Passley making one brave tackle to thwart O’Halloran a shot at goal.
However, it wasn’t long before Fulham began to take control again as Trotta blazed over from Kerim Frei’s pull back. The Swiss youngster then weaved a chance of his own, but was denied what would have been an exquisite individual strike by a last ditch block from Joe Riley.
With the game all but over at the interval, chances in the second-half remained somewhat at a premium, although Kacaniklic and Trotta combined once more in the closing stages with the latter grabbing his fifth of the game with a cool first time finish.
This was another impressive night for McKinlay’s young side – one that outfought and outplayed their Barclays Premier Reserve League South rivals.
The Development Squad’s next league fixture takes them to Altrincham FC’s ground on Thursday September 15th where they will face Manchester United reserves.
Fulham: Etheridge; Harris, Passley, Burn, Smith; B Riise (Brister 61), Donegan, Gecov (Pritchard 45), Kacaniklic; Frei (Peniket 82), Trotta.
(Subs): Bettinelli, Dean.
Bolton Reserves: Lynch; Battersby (Fazlic), Dennis (Odelusi), Eckersley, McQuade; Riley, Blakeman, Holden (Fielding), Vela; Obadeyi, O’Halloran.
(Subs): McGregor, Proudfoot.