Ton trio keen to impress against Man United
Excited Morton youth academy graduates Jonathan Lyon, Alexander Easdale, and Kieran Brophy can’t wait to pit their wits against Manchester United at Cappielow tomorrow.
The trio are all likely to play a part as a Ton reserve side hosts the English Premier League giants’ development squad in a glamour challenge match in Greenock.
Attacking midfielder Lyon, 17, grew up as a fan of the Red Devils and is thrilled at the prospect of going head to head with the next generation of Old Trafford stars.
Speaking to media officer Jonathan Mitchell, he said: “I’m very exited for the game and actually didn’t believe it at first. Then I saw it on the club Twitter and Facebook and I was shocked.
“I’ve followed Man Utd since I was eight when my uncle took me down to watch them against Chelsea at Old Trafford. Ronaldo was playing that day and they won 3-0, if I remember right. The atmosphere was crazy.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be playing against some of the best players in England at our age, and maybe even the next Ronaldo, so it will be a great experience for the boys.
“This could be once in a lifetime. We might never play against a club like Manchester United again unless we were to earn a move down south.
“It will be great, so hopefully I’ll be involved and be able to make my mark. We have to get the ball down, pass and believe in ourselves and go and show what we’re made of. I can’t wait for it.”
Forward Easdale was equally enthusiastic about the opportunity and feels the Ton second string have already shown they can compete with strong opponents by beating Celtic on Reserve League duty earlier the season.
The 18-year-old, who netted against the Parkead outfit, said: “I’m really excited for the Manchester United game. It’s a big challenge, playing one of the best clubs in the world, and will be good to see that standard up close.
“I know some of the players who could be involved. There’s a boy up front, Mason Greenwood, who’s scored about 42 goals in 30 games.
“He’s one of the up-and-coming stars and it would be interesting to see what he’s like and how he plays because I’m a striker as well.
“We played against Celtic in the Reserve League and beat them. We did well in that game and it shows what we’re capable of, and we have to try and perform like we did then and see what happens on the day.”
Wideman Brophy, 17, admits he was blown away when he learned it was the Ton development squad rather than the senior side that would face the Old Trafford outfit.
He said: “It’s not often you get the chance to play Manchester United. We weren’t in that Friday and I was shocked when I saw it on Twitter and thought it would be our first-team until I read through the story.
“I few of my family members will be down to watch and I’m sure we’ll have a decent crowd in. It’s a really good game for us and I think if we can play at our best we can give them a game.”
Kick-off at Cappielow is 2pm and admission details can be found here.
The Morton development squad are sponsored by Saveheat and Blairs Windows.
Image (main): Jonathan Mitchell
Image (inset): Gary Bradley
