by Jeff King
FA Youth Challenge Cup - Preliminary Round - Monday 2nd September 2024
Chester-le-Street United 5 v 1 Newcastle Benfield
Last season's run in the FA Youth Challenge Cup took United all the way to the second round proper before they lost to EFL Division 2 Burton Albion. A magnificent run that this season's crop of youngsters will do well to emulate.
They made a great start though in this year's competition. Taking advantage of a later entry into the cup they had pulled Ebac Northern League Division One side Newcastle Benfield out of the hat for a home tie.
Benfield being represented in the prestigious competition by the Newcastle Elite Academy Squad. On the night it was United that put their elite mark on the game as they cruised into the next round.
A combination of Northern League first and fringe players and Wearside League regulars made up a strong looking United line-up that took the field at The Ford Quarry Hub and from the first whistle United were on the front foot.
As early as the 5th minute United went close. Dylan Robson being fouled in a central position about 22-yeards from goal. Harvey Lawrence stepped up and arrowed his effort towards the top right hand corner.
Lewis Petre in the Benfield goal doing well to get up to the ball and palm it over the top. Lawrence trotted over and took the resultant corner but the Benfield defence held firm and cleared the danger.
Benfield's reply saw Matty Todd play a ball wide left to Rhys Common who went past Jonathan Beattie and delivered a low left wing cross that just evaded the late arriving Nathan Storey's efforts to turn it into the net.
It was a brief flurry from the visitors who were back to defending almost immediately and had to face another Lawrence free kick from about the same position as the previous one after Kymani Severin was fouled.
Lawrence went for the same corner but this time Petre was untroubled as the ball flew over the angle of cross bar and post. Leo Fasuan shortly afterwards put Severin away inside the Benfield box.
Severin though perhaps should have shot first time but delayed just long enough to see covering defenders get back. The wide man decided to square the ball looking for Nathan Conroy but Jay Harold was there to clear.
All the pressure was coming from United who were mixing their play between neat passing moves and long decisive balls when required. One such huge clearance from keeper Rilee Irwin finding Conroy on the edge of the box.
Conroy showed great strength and purpose to shrug off a couple of challenges but saw his hopes of putting his side in front thwarted by a great diving parry by Petre. The rebound fell to Fasuan on the edge of the box but he blazed the chance well over the top.
Fasuan was again the guilty party when Beattie bombing down the right crossed into the area and Fasuan had a free header from 10 yards out but he could only head just over the bar. Then United's #10 was only just off target with a great 20-yard effort.
It felt like a goal was coming and when it did on 29 minutes it was no surprise that it was Chester that struck first. Dan Walton's ball from the back was well collected and held up by Conroy.
Spotting Fasuan breaking forward, Conroy laid the ball back into his path and Fasuan cushioned a lovely curling finish from 20 yards out that Petre got nowhere near as it hit the back of the net past his right-hand side.
It was no more than United deserved but did sting the visitor's into retaliation. Todd, their most lively player, testing Irwin with a lovely 22-yard efort that the big keeper flew to his left to turn away.
More pressure though from United almost brought them a second as the time ticked down to half-time. This time Lawrence wriggling free just inside the box before hitting an angled drive that crashed back into play off the cross bar.
It meant that a dominant United left the field in good spirits a goal to the good but hoping that their failure to turn dominant possession into goals wouldn't cost them in the second 45 minutes.
The first chance of the second period showed exactly why United could have been punished. Dylan Richardson playing a great ball between United's defenders and Todd was away and 1-on-1 with Irwin.
The keeper though stood tall and anticipated the forward's intentions well to make a great block with his feet and keep Chester in front on the night. Once again as in the first half United started building pressure and throwing players forward.
Nothing was coming to fruition at first with the closest being a Riley Everett effort following a scramble inside the Benfield block that looked goal bound until Wes McConville threw himself in front of the ball's path and blocked it bravely.
United were pushing Benfield back and a desperate lunge on Robson brought another free kick in a dangerous position. This time Conroy stepped up and drove a great effort on target from fully 25-yards that Petre did well to get too and push around the post.
It led to a second United goal on 63 minutes. From the resultant corner Lawrence landed his delivery dangerously inside the six-yard box. Walton timed his run to perfection got above the visiting defence and powered his header home.
Two-up United really now began to turn the screw with their confidence rising as fast as their opponents' drained. Ben Gallagher came on after 68 minutes for Fasuan and within a minute saw his side make it 3 - 0.
Great pressing from United saw Common turn towards his own goal and then play a suicidal back pass straight to the feet of Conroy. The big striker steadied himself, advanced calmly on goal and slid the ball smoothly past the helpless Petre from 8-yards.
United made a substitution on the restart with Evan Cubby coming on for Severin as they continued to press and work just as hard off the ball as they were on it.
Gallagher was fouled again in a dangerous area and once again Conroy lined up his effort. This time hitting it low past the wall only to see Petre make a smart save with his feet. It was Conroy's last involvement as further substitutions were made.
Matty Henderson coming on for Everett, Jack Wilson for Conroy and they even swapped their keepers with Louie Aldus coming on for Irwin. It did not slow united down one bit.
Lawrence showing well and strong in midfield played a lovely weighted pass left to the overlapping Jamie Frizzel. His first time low cross finding Wilson in the centre of the box. On the half turn the substitute striker was inches too high with his shot.
Beattie then with a crunching run down the right where he exchanged passes with Cubby hit a superb dangerous cross to the back post where Lawrence was unmarked but the ball took a deflection off a defender away from Lawrence.
On 79 minutes though United did net a fourth in similar style to their second. This time the corner from Lawrence was on their right. He delivered another well placed kick and Casper Skrzecz got in front of his markers to power his header home from inside the six-yard box.
Benfield to their credit did keep plugging away and with nine minutes to go netted a small consolation. Common finding Jake Skinner in the inside left position and Skinner sliding a lovely ball through the United defence for Todd to run on to.
Benfield's best player by far outpaced the defence and as Aldus came out to meet him slid the ball confidently wide of the keeper's spreading figure to record a deserved goal for his efforts on the night.
United though were still not finished and with a couple of minutes to go snatched another goal to make the final score 5 - 1. This time it was Gallagher in midfield that found Cubby on the right.
Cubby curled a superb ball across the six-yard box that the defence had no chance of cutting out and there was Lawrence steaming in at the far post to side foot home to complete a great night's work for United's Youth Cup side.
Chester now await the draw for the next round with anticipation. However they pull from the hat will be face a tough test if this game and performance was a standard that United are going to set.
TEAM : 1 Rylie Irwin 2 Jonathan Beattie 3 Jamie Frizzel 4 Nathan Conroy 5 Dan Walton 6 Casper Skrzecz 7 Kymani Severin 8 Dylan Robson 9 Nathan Conroy 10 Leo Fasuan 11 Harvey Lawrence
SUBS : 12 Matty Henderson (for Everett 75 mins) 13 Louie Aldus (for Irwin 75 mins) 14 Jack Wilson (for Conroy 75 mins) 15 Keane Mitchell - DNP 16 Ethan Stobbart - DNP 17 Evan Cubby (for Severin 70 mins) 18 Ben Gallagher (for Fasuan 68 mins)
GOAL SCORERS : Fasuan 29, Walton 63, Conroy 69, Skrzecz 79, Lawrence 88
MAN of the MATCH - Nathan Conroy
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