Tony Carr has paid tribute to his Under-18s after they recorded another fine victory at the weekend with a 4-0 defeat of Reading.
"It was terrific, a really good team performance," said the club's Academy director about the dynamic display at Little Heath on Saturday. "We were short of strikers and we played a triallist Ahmed Abdulla up front and Junior Stanislas off the striker in the hole and it worked really well. Reading are a good team at this level. That is the measure of why I am so pleased because it came against very good opposition."
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The victory underlines that there is more to come behind the likes of James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Freddie Sears who have all made the jump to the first team in recent months. Among the next batch are two England Under-19 internationals in blossoming central defender Jordan Spence, who is still only 17, and Stanislas, an attack-minded midfielder who has good ability from set-pieces as well as plenty of pace and skill.
All four goals came in the first half, but Carr was just as delighted with the way his team saw out the contest after the break. "In the second half it was about trying to make sure we didn't concede. We had a couple of good chances, but the job was done really. We were worthy winners." He also singled out 16-year-old goalkeeper Adam Street, who "is having a very good second half to the season" after his fourth clean sheet in five matches as well as an outstanding recent reserve-team bow.
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Football at Under-18 level is all about the development of individual players, but United find themselves in with a chance of winning Group A of the Premier Academy League. Arsenal are two points behind the leaders but have four games left compared to West Ham United's two. "We will see what happens," Carr said. "At the end of the day, no matter if we win our last two games they have still got their games in hand and it is how well they do with those.
"We will just have to wait and see. I am more pleased with the performance of the players as I am with the league position. As I have said before, that is more important although the league position gives us that added incentive to keep going right to the end, right to the wire." It is also a key time in the season for youngsters wanting to impress and, having scored on his debut, triallist Abdulla is one who will hope to get more time to shine.
"He has been training for a week, he is only a schoolboy and I put him in to see what he could do. He has come in, worked hard and scored a goal. It is early days for him but he has done well." Similarly, Stanislas also earned plaudits for his goal, which rounded out the scoring after further strikes from Anthony Edgar and Oliver Lee followed Abdulla's opener. "It was an individual effort where he has come inside the edge of the box from the left-hand side and spotted the keeper just off the line and chipped him into the far corner. It was a cheeky goal but it is something you try when you are 3-0 up."