Blues U18s manager Sam Darlow was delighted with his team’s performance as they beat Liverpool 2-0 in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup at Portman Road, feeling the display showed the principles and values of the football club.

Rio Morgan netted both goals in the first half to see the young Blues to victory and into the quarter-finals of the competition where they will host West Ham on a date yet to be confirmed.

“Very, very pleased with the team performance, certainly in the first half,” Darlow said. “I thought we started on the front foot and it was certainly part of our game plan to look at trying to start fast, which obviously we did, and we had a chance very, very early on.

“But overall it’s what we’ve been working with the group for an awful long time for and I think they definitely went out there and showed the principles and the values that the football club has and hopefully everyone that’s come this evening has seen some stars of the future.”

Morgan netted his first goal in the eighth minute and the second in first-half injury time, an ideal moment to cement his side’s lead.

“Definitely helped,” Darlow reflected. “It had some similarity in some respects with the semi-final [against Liverpool at Portman Road in 2021 in which the Reds came from behind to win 2-1] last time in terms of us scoring early, which can be a hindrance as well as a help.

“But I thought that we dealt with that moment quite well and then for Rio to pop up just before half-time and get a second goal, settled the nerves a little bit going into half-time. But it gave them a little bit of a chance to regroup going into the second half.”

Northern Ireland U19 international Morgan wasn’t far away from a hat-trick with a second-half strike which hit the bar.

“We’ve seen him do those things a couple of times in training, he’s certainly got an eye for goal,” Darlow continued. “He’s very creative with what he tries to do and he’s got a licence to do that, which I feel is important.

“But he also understands that he has a role and responsibility for the team, both in and out of possession.

“I wasn’t surprised when he took the shot and I probably thought at one point when it was halfway in the air it probably was dipping in. I remember him going one at QPR when he was an U13 or U14 when we were away and just out of nothing, he’s just hit the ball and it’s just dipped in. It wasn’t anything that I wasn’t expecting, to be perfectly truthful.”

Blues keeper Woody Williamson had a shaky first half at times but redeemed himself with a second-half penalty save from Liverpool captain Terence Miles.

“We obviously want our goalkeepers to be brave, at times he was potentially too brave, if you like,” Darlow smiled. “But we accept that and when he did play out and we did find the third player to play out and then bounce it out the other side, he did very well.

“It’s important for them as goalkeepers to keep that level of trust, to keep that belief in what we’re trying to do and ultimately he’s pulled off a very good save and I think that kills a little of their press, their wanting to come back into the game a little bit.

“It’s one of those moments that just takes the wind out of them a little bit. Credit to Woody, he works exceptionally hard every day, he practices saving penalties and just generally is a student of the game and he tries to do the best thing that he possibly can”

“And tonight he’s either guessed the right way or seen which way the lad was going and pulled off a very good save.”

Darlow praised the crowd of 2,649, which included a fair number of Liverpool fans as well as Town supporters.

“I think it’s a really big one, some of the players have been unfortunate in that we’ve been involved in the Covid period, so they haven’t had many opportunities to have fans in the stadium when we’ve had the opportunity to play,” he said.

“So to have over 2,000 people here supporting everybody was fantastic and I can only thank them for their support this evening, and hopefully we’ll see them again in the next round.

“I’d like to see if we can get a few more through the gate as well, that would be brilliant to see. But the support that the boys have had this evening has been superb, so I can only thank the fans for coming out and turning out on a Friday night and watching.”

The U18s noticeably played out from the back in much the same way as the first team have under Kieran McKenna.

“We try to, we want to have the ball, we want to play forwards as well, we want to create, we want to combine and I think they’re values that come all the way down the football club and it’s something that we’ve worked with this group on particularly hard,” he said.

“It’s not by any means the finished article and there’s lots and lots of development to go, but we’re heading in the right direction.

“From what we’ve seen this evening, hopefully there are some players that potentially in three or four years’ time can be knocking on the manager’s door and getting themselves a space in the first team similar to Cameron Humphreys has looked to do this season.”

Many of the team have grown up playing under Darlow, who has progressed up the age groups in recent seasons.

“Originally, I joined the club four years ago when I was YDP [Youth Development Phase] lead, so I looked after the U13s-U16s and then December 2021, I moved into the U18s with Adem [Atay, who left and joined Aston Villa in the summer], assisted Adem for the second half of that season and then this season have stayed with the group.

“For the first three months it was myself and Geraint Williams and he’s no longer with the academy in a coaching capacity and I’ve carried on that until today.”

Looking forward to the tie against the Hammers in the next round, he added: “I found that out just after the game, they played this evening against Stoke [and won 4-1 away].

“Another tough game. West Ham are currently sitting top of their league, played 12, won 12, so it’ll be a difficult night but I’ve said to this group of players from working with them over a period of four years, that if we do what we do on a day-to-day basis, we can go out there and give anybody a game.

“I’m not necessarily saying we come out on top, but it would be a competitive fixture, and I think they’ve proved that again this evening against Liverpool.

“Not sure when it is, but very much as a group, collectively as a group of staff, a group of players, everybody that’s been involved in and around the U18s, we’re very much looking forward to welcoming West Ham to Portman Road and hopefully putting on another good evening.”

Photo: TWTD

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