Town’s U21s lost 2-0 to QPR at their Harlington training ground this afternoon. Rangers striker Tom Hitchcock, who grabbed the only goal in the final minute of the Championship game between the sides last month, scored in each half to beat the Blues, who included two trialists in their starting line-up.
Keiran Morphew, a 19-year-old from Ryman Division One North side Needham Market, was at right-back, while former Tottenham midfielder Jake Nicholson was also in Mark Kennedy’s team.
Harrow-born Nicholson, 21, started in the youth set-up at West Ham before moving on to Tottenham, where he will have worked under Blues academy director Bryan Klug.
Capped by England at U19 level, his only senior appearance for Spurs came as a sub in a Europa League game against Hearts in August 2011, while he also played a couple of first-team games while on loan with Finnish side Myllykosken Pallo. Earlier in the summer, he had a trial with Crystal Palace.
Striker Jack Marriott (pictured) went closest to scoring for the Blues when he had a goal ruled out for offside just before half-time.
Town’s U21s, already without regular right-back Kyle Hammond, who recently suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, lost Jonny Leddy to a shoulder injury late on when he was stretchered off.
Alan Lee was the only senior player involved for the Blues, with the first-team in action against Yeovil at Portman Road tomorrow night, while the home side’s line-up included Croatian international Niko Kranjcar.
U21s: Crowe, Morphew (Robinson 64), October, Nicholson, Clarke, Leddy (Timlin 75), Doherty, Lawrence (Berkane 33), Marriott, Lee, Adekunle. Unused: Marsden, Winter.
QPR: Lennox, Gibbons, Monthe, Ehmer, Sendles-White, Magri, Shariff, Ephraim (Skapetis 71), Hitchcock, Kranjcar (Petrasso 60), Andrade. Unused: Lumley, Brown, Kpekawa.