Villa’s youngster’s made their first appearance in the EFL Leasing.com Trophy this evening, but despite a decent overall performance, succumbed to a sucker punch defeat in the closing stages.
Facing newly promoted Salford City, Villa fielded a youthful side that featured a trio of faces looking to catch the eye of Dean Smith with valuable competitive football.
Archer & Revan have both appeared in matchday squads recently, with well regarded England youth winner Suliman also featuring at the Peninsula Stadium (Moor Lane).
Despite a promising first half in which Villa showed some flair and attacking intent, the second half steadily became Salford’s, who began to apply their experience to control proceedings.
However, Villa looked to have shut the game down upon entering the final ten minutes; that was until the second refereeing howler in a week.
Salford 1-0 #AVFC U21’s
“Soft penalty”
“Incredibly cruel”— Villa Underground (@avfc_vilr) September 3, 2019
After a coming together in the Villa box, the referee saw fit to award a very soft penalty to the hosts. This was despatched comfortably by Danny Lloyd.
Moments later, with Villa rocking whilst reflecting on their hard work being undone, Adam Rooney sealed the points with a straightforward finish.
FT: Salford 2-0 #AVFC U21’s
Villa go down to a dubious penalty, but also conceded a second quickly after.
Youngster’s performed well, but faded as the game went on.
— Villa Underground (@avfc_vilr) September 3, 2019
Villa’s U21’s will face Tranmere Rovers on the 8th October, in a re-run of the famous 1994 semi-final fixture.