Match Report: Clyde U-20s 0-3 Morton U-20s
Clyde Under-20s 0 – 3 Morton Under-20s
Trialist O.G. (19), Purdue (40, 61)
Morton Under-20s recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory over Clyde at Broadwood last night to stretch their winning run to six successive matches.
Under-17s stars Jonathan Lyon and Shaun Rodgers were handed their first development squad starts in last week’s 5-1 triumph against Stranraer and the pair held on to those spots against the Bully Wee.
Attacking midfielder Rodgers caused Clyde all sorts of problems as a left wing-back, and he was the architect behind both of the Ton’s first-half goals.
On 19 minutes, the 16-year-old poured forward down the flank, danced inside a challenge and fired off a low angled drive that Clyde’s trialist No.4 turned past his own keeper to give the visitors the lead.
Jack Purdue went close to adding a second on 40 minutes, cracking the outside of the left post with a searing drive that rebounded out to the left wing.
The irrepressible Rodgers was first on the scene, collecting the loose ball and skipping past a Clyde defender to drive into the box before picking out Purdue to stroke between the sticks with his left foot.
Aaron Miller passed up a fantastic opportunity to pull one back in the last minute of the half when he flicked into the outside netting from two yards after a sweeping cross from the left found him arriving at the far post.
The miss ensured Derek Anderson’s side would go in at the interval two goals to the good, and Rodgers soon picked up where he left off before the break.
With 10 minutes of the second half played, he weaved his way down the left and fizzed in a low delivery that Alexander Easdale did well to connect with on the stretch, stabbing just wide of the right post.
They didn’t have to wait long for that decisive third goal, however, as Purdue would score his second of the evening on the hour.
Snapping onto a hurried clearance by Clyde’s trialist goalkeeper, the Ton No. 9 surged towards goal and slipped a cool, placed finish past the advancing shot-stopper inside the right post.
With the three points in the bag, director of youth Anderson took the opportunity to blood more academy prospects in the final 20 minutes.
Goalkeeper Andrew Coyle, midfielders John Gallacher and Jamie Black, and striker Aidan Duffy all came off the bench to make their debuts and put the icing on the cake of another positive night for the development squad.
Morton (352)
1. Farrell
4. Hynes 5. Watt 6. Ben Docherty
2. Eardley 7. Langan (c) 8. R. Lyon 11. J. Lyon 3. Rodgers
10. Easdale 9. Purdue
Subs used: 12. McGrattan (for J. Lyon, 70), 20. Coyle (for Farrell, 76), 17. Gallacher (for Rodgers, 76), 14. A. Duffy (for Purdue, 79), and 15. Black (for Easdale, 79).
Images: Gerry Lafferty
