UNDER-18S DEFEAT ACCIES 4-0 AND STAY TOP OF LEAGUE

After another two-week delay, the Young Terrors returned to action looking to bounce back from the disappointing night at Auchenhowie where they tasted defeat for the first time in the 2021/22 season.

Despite the 3-1 loss at the hands of Rangers though, the U18s remained top of the league heading into tonight’s clash with Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park. Ryan Moon made one change to the side from two weeks prior, a touch of shuffling along the back four as Keir Bertie replaced right-back Miller Thompson for his first start of the campaign, this meaning Layton Bisland slotting into his favoured right-back position with Bertie covering the other side. Midfielder Sam Lovie also returned to the squad after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, the 17-year-old earning a place on the bench. The gaffer favoured the usual set-up, 4-2-3-1, and looked to utilise the space in the wide areas created by the inverted runs of Stuart Heenan and Bryan Mwangi when building from the back. 

United got on the front foot from the off and pinned the hosts inside their own half with high-intensity pressure from the front. This energy forced the first opening of the match as Aaron Donald picked up a loose ball and pinged it towards Fin Malcolm. Accies won the first ball, but Heenan pounced on the second, before skipping away from the challenge of Chris McGinn and slashing his shot wide on the angle. 

Hamilton retaliated to United’s attacking style by attempting to construct something of their own and forced Jamie McCabe into pawing a dangerous cross from Cian Newbury to safety after a well-executed pass from Ryan One released the winger into the area. 

The breakthrough for the Young Terrors came on the 11th minute after a foul by Brady Craig on Malcolm gave Lewis O’Donnell the opportunity to deliver from the edge of the box. The Scotland under-17s international drove his free-kick into the wall but the scraps fell to Bryan Mwangi who hooked the ball over his head into the path of Jacob Comerford to bullet the ball past the helpless Cameron May for his third goal of the season. 

United’s high line forced another turnover soon after, which presented Craig Moore with the chance to try his luck, his fierce strike spilled clumsily by May in the Accies net with Craig nipping the rebound off the toes of Malcolm just in time. 

The relentless waves of tangerine attacks eventually breached the defence of Hamilton once more, and the door was unlocked thanks to an outstanding through-ball by Rory MacLeod into the left channel for Malcolm. The striker burst past Chriss Neeson, showing him a clean pair of heels, and squared to Heenan who was waiting for the cross in the middle. Heenan took a touch to steady himself before calmly rolling the ball off the post to give the Young Terrors breathing space. 

There was still time for the unforgiving United to net a third before the break and MacLeod was yet again the architect. The 15-year-old plucked an awkward pass from Bertie out of the sky and allowed the ball to drop to attract just enough pressure from the defence to open space for Malcolm behind it. Malcolm latched onto the exquisite, dinked pass from his colleague and steered the ball into the net to wrap up the three points within just 45 minutes, this being the last kick of the first half. 

The Young Terrors picked up where they left off in the second period, as Bisland shone thanks to his lung-bursting runs from right-back. Bisland and Malcolm combined to pick out his opposite full-back as Bertie made up ground on the left, his cross having to be dealt with at the front post by May with Malcolm lurking in the box. 

The same duo linked up effectively to construct United’s fourth, with almost a carbon copy move, Bisland intercepting a clipped pass from the Hamilton defence and drilling the ball into Malcolm’s feet. He pinned his defender and rolled the ball to Bryan Mwangi on the left edge of the area, the winger chopping away from Craig, leaving the Accies man in a heap and nonchalantly slotted into the far corner to kill the match as a contest despite over 40 minutes remaining. 

Malcolm could have added a fifth had he kept his composure when one-on-one with May just 120 seconds later, but the keeper stood tall to block his chipped effort. 

The lively Heenan was the next United man to threaten the Accies goal as he darted away from his marker to receive a pass from MacLeod, however thundered his effort the wrong side of the post from a tangerine perspective. 

Complacency perhaps began to creep into United’s game as the match approached the latter stages as the visitors took their foot off the gas slightly, allowing Hamilton a couple of half-chances, all coming from cross balls that weren’t adequately dealt with. Thankfully for United, Accies’ lack of potency continued as they spurned all three opportunities.

Bisland teed up substitute Reece Kerrigan to strike a venomous effort into the side netting for the final action of the 90, with Moon’s juggernaut Young Terrors' side exorcising the demons of two weeks ago and extending their stay at the top of the CAS Under-18s Elite League for at least another week with a comfortable four-goal haul in Lanarkshire.