The U16s progressed to the semi-final of the JPL Plate with a 3-1 victory at Yorkshire Elite on Saturday.
Shawnee Eddy’s first-half goal saw the sides level at the break before Eloi Nyom and Zac Benjamin swayed the quarter-final.
Kyrell Kavanagh created the opening chance on 4 minutes through all his own work. He beat two defenders on the right of the edge of box before poking the ball under the keeper but the stopper got enough on it to stop the ball carrying on into the net.
Yonas Melake’s corner from the left on 9 minutes flew over the ‘keeper and found Josh Carney at the back post but he mishit his shot away from goal.
Carney threatened again four minutes later, receiving the ball centrally on the edge of the box, taking a touch before hitting too far under the ball and lifting it high over the bar.
Farsley’s opening goal was just a minute behind, however – scored by Eddy.
Kavanagh crossed low from the right, across the penalty spot to Nyom but he mishit his shot, to the benefit of Eddy who had a tap-in at the back post.
Richy Bamba, Benjamin and Melake then combined to continue the pressure. Bamba’s direct ball was held up well by Benjamin, laying the ball to the right and Melake. He poked the ball round the outside of his defender before running the other way and meeting the ball again on the better side of his opposition but the cross came to nothing.
Yorkshire Elite then levelled just a minute later, utilising Farsley’s pressure to their own benefit through a quick counter-attack.
A long-ball into the right of the box was hit on the half-volley, over Joe Hudson with too much power for the ‘keeper to stand much chance.
Farsley replied straight from kick-off with Kavanagh cutting in from the left but then shooting hard, back across goal, aimed perfectly into the bottom corner but it was blocked on the edge of the box.
Another long-ball from Yorkshire Elite on 23 minutes flew over Bamba, to the edge of the box and an advancing forward but Aeren Pink eventually tracked back to cover and clear to Melake who was then fouled.
Benjamin didn’t allow Yorkshire Elite’s next break on 26 minutes, intercepting deep into the opposition half before passing, with conviction, to Kavanagh to his right. The forward took one touch, lifting the ball up for a clean, placed effort towards the far right corner but it went wide.
Carney found space out wide on the right, this time, on 31 minutes, nutmegging his defender before passing into Melake advancing ahead of him. The wing-back cut inside and shot with the outside of his right boot, towards the far post but it lacked enough strength to test the ‘keeper.
Yorkshire Elite did test again with another counter-attack down the right but they too lacked strength in their shot and it was saved easily by Hudson.
Amari Smith was rewarded for his brace in the quarter-final with the captains arm band today and tried to add to his goal tally from 30-yards out but this one lacked the accuracy from last week, flying high and wide.
Hudson was tested a minute before the break by an inswinging corner but he punched clear, confidently to keep the match level at half-time.
Melake mirrored his skill from the first-half, two minutes after the break, meeting the ball behind his defender once again before crossing low to the back post, nullifying the ‘keeper and finding Benjamin with a tap-in but he mis-hit his shot away from goal instead.
Melake combined with his opposite wing-back a minute later as Eddy outmuscled his defender on the left and crossed across the edge of the box, past Kavanagh, to Melake. The beneficiary took one touch before shooting low, back across goal but wide.
Eddy received the ball again on the left, three minutes after, advancing into the box before shooting across goal again but the ‘keeper saved this time, with his legs.
Nyom then found Kavanagh, to continue Farsley’s control of possession, the forward squaring his defender up before deciding to go right and shooting at the near post which was tipped onto the framework.
Nyom’s then restored Farsley’s lead on 52 minutes to score his second in two matches against this opponent.
On the edge of the box, the midfielder placed the ball, with his self-proclaimed weaker left foot, into the far, bottom left corner.
Kavanagh almost got the third straight away, four minutes later as he won the race against the ‘keeper, poking the ball over the stopper, then being forced away from goal by a covering defender before managing to find Benjamin with a cross. On the edge of the box, the recipient took a touch before shooting over.
Benjamin’s goal did come, however, as he got his redemption a minute later.
Harassing his defender as is his style, he was rewarded with possession before cutting in from the right. His loose touch tempted the ‘keeper but the forward slid in to get to the ball first and poke it under the stopper.
Nyom made sure his skill was on show just before he was replaced by Boulton on 63 minutes, shifting the ball between both feet several times, tempting his defender into a lunge and the Farsley man taking advantage by taking the ball round his marker.
Yorkshire Elite went close to recovering the deficit slightly, with a cross from the right on 64 minutes which was headed back across goal, inside the 6-yard box into the centre, but somehow smashed over
Defender Bamba had his own effort from a lot further away, on 69 minutes, advancing out of the back three onto a sidewards pass to the right from Carney. The defender took a touch and shot from 30-yards but quite a way over the bar.
Benjamin could have had a second, running onto a ball in-behind before placing his shot towards the far left post but wide.
Another goalscorer, Eddy could also have added to his tally, again running onto a ball ahead of him on the left and eventually advancing into the box before shooting across goal but the ‘keeper ensured he didn’t concede another before full-time.
The U16s now await their semi-final opponents in the JPL Plate.