Young Watches Son as U21s Beat Needham Tuesday, 22nd Jul 2025 23:52 Former England star and apparent Town target Ashley Young watched his son Tyler feature as a trialist for Town's U21s on Tuesday evening as they beat 10-man Needham Market 2-1 at Bloomfields in a pre-season friendly. Young junior, who lined up in central midfield, has been on trial with the Blues throughout pre-season, featuring at Leiston and also on the U21s training camp in Slovakia last week with a Town deal for the season ahead looking likely. Also in the Blues starting line-up this evening was Senegalese U17 international centre-back El Hadj Malick Cissé, who was reportedly on trial with Barcelona late last year. The hosts created the first opening on six when former Blues' academy left-back Tommy Smith saw his deep cross headed over by Joe Neal. On 17 Ashton Boswell cut in from the right wing and hit a low left-foot shot just wide of the post, minutes before Ash Boatswain's low effort from the edge of the box was comfortably gathered by Needham keeper James Bradbrook.  Josh Pitts curled a free-kick over the wall but just the wrong side of the post on the half-hour, however, the non-league side took the lead just a minute later when striker Neal intercepted Blues keeper Henry Gray's pass out from the back and rolled the ball into the empty net. Town came close to pulling level just after the hour mark when Pitts released left-back Leon Elliott, who drew a good block from Bradbrook at his near post. Pitts then lifted the loose ball back over the keeper but the ball was hooked off the line by a Needham defender. On 64, the home side were reduced to 10 men when captain Dan Morphew was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Boatswain out wide, having earlier being cautioned for dissent just after half-time. John McGreal and Chris Casement made six substitutions a couple of minutes later and these seemed to inject some extra energy into the young Blues with Pitts firing a snapshot at Bradbrook and then diverting Josh Lewis's cross wide of the far post. For a while, it looked like it was going to be one of those nights for Town, but on 83 skipper Tommy Taylor grabbed the equaliser. Former Needham loanee Nico Valentine put a low cross in from the right which was only half-cleared to Taylor on the edge of the box, from where he hit a low shot in off the post. The Blues continued pushing forward against a tiring 10 men and they secured a winner just two minutes later when Abube Onuchukwu's ball into the box from the left was met by sub Jamie Mauge, who directed his header into the far bottom corner and beyond the reach of Bradbrook. There was still time for Pitts to test Bradbrook once more with a low shot after a driving run forward, but Town were able to comfortably see out the final few minutes. After a disappointing first half, the red card and the substitutions combined to change the game and swing the result in Town's favour. The U21s are next in friendly action against Luton Town at Playford Road on Saturday afternoon. U21s: Gray (Williamson 46), Babb, Elliott (Lewis 66), Cissé (Heard 66), Walker-Edwards (Mthunzi 66), Turner, Boswell (Valentine 66), Young (Onuchukwu 66), Boatswain (Mauge 66), T Taylor, Pitts.
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