Fulham Under-18s returned to winning ways in style on Saturday, dispatching Norwich City 5-0 at Motspur Park.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi’s brace got things started, before a Tom Olyott corner went all the way in, and an own goal put our boys firmly in control at the break.
Seth Ridgeon put the icing on the cake after the break, but equally as pleasing will have been the clean sheet, and the fact that Norwich barely got near the Fulham goal all day, courtesy of some resolute defending throughout the team.
The Young Whites made a perfect start after just six minutes when Bradley Slade sprayed a fine pass into the left channel for Loupalo-Bi who beat his man to break into the box on his right foot, thundering a low shot through the Canaries goalkeeper.
Loupalo-Bi doubled his and Fulham’s tally a few minutes later. Slade was involved again at the start of the move, but this time it was Olyott who claimed the assist after cutting in from the right, feeding Loupalo-Bi who curled inside the far post.
Olyott then went from provider to scorer, curling home directly from a corner.
Another Olyott corner led to our fourth before half-time, as the pace on his delivery caused the visiting defence all manner of problems, with Finlay Corke putting through his own net.
Norwich had just the one chance all afternoon and it came at the end of the first half, but Fulham ‘keeper Oscar Varney spread himself well to repel the threat.
There were a few changes in personnel in the second half, for a variety of reasons. Slade had played the second half of the 21s’ 7-0 win over Reading the previous evening, so he was replaced by Damon Park, while Ollie Gofford picked up an ankle injury, with Ridgeon taking his place. Alfie White was also introduced.
The second half was not as fluid as the first, with Norwich prioritising damage limitation, but Ridgeon did add a fifth to the scoreline. White won the ball in midfield and played his fellow substitute in with a clever through pass, and Ridgeon smashed his shot low and hard beyond the goalkeeper to wrap up a fine win for the Under-18s.
Possession
42%Shots
0Shots On Target
0Corners
2Fouls
130
0
Cards
1
0
Fulham U18: Varney, Brad de Jesus, Amissah, Nsasi, Slade (Park 64'), Olyott, Gofford (Ridgeon 54'), Nwoko, Ali Wahid, Iwhiwhu (White 64'), Loupalo-Bi (Wingate 81')
Subs: Kaiser, Wingate, Park, Ridgeon, White
Norwich City U18: Bullen, Mundle (Rowland 68'), Ofori-Manteaw, Williams, Owen, Simbai, Bracking, Chilvers, Daley, Corke (Newman 61'), Roberts (Okpiahele 81')
Subs: Newman, Ruddy, Okpiahele, Rowland