Home comfort bring Hatters youngsters another win
Luton Town Youth 4
Dagenham & Redbridge 0
The Hatters' Youth Team welcomed Dagenham & Redbridge to Ely Way on Saturday morning for their first home game in five weeks.
The previous day had seen the two sides drawn together in the next round of the FA Youth Cup following two good wins for the teams in the week, with the Daggers performing excellently to beat Category 2 academy side Colchester United by an impressive 7-3 scoreline.
The Hatters were quickly out of the blocks and stormed into a 3-0 lead within the first ten minutes.
In the second minute, Kitan Sorunke found Scott Belgrove on the edge of the box and he teed up Michael Shamalo on the edge of the box. The tall striker struck his shot from 20 yards into the bottom corner of the Daggers’ net.
Within a minute, Geo Craig had nearly doubled the lead with what would have been a goal of the season contender had it gone in. The striker hit a superb 25-yard rocket with his left foot which cannoned down off of the bar with the keeper well beaten.
The lead was doubled, though, in the ninth minute with full-back Jack James storming forward and combining with Craig before smashing a 30-yard strike into the corner.
From the restart, Shamalo and Connor Tomlinson hunted the ball down and worked the ball into the box, where Tomlinson unselfishly set up Shamalo for his second and the Hatters' third.
The remainder of the half was much more even and clear cut chances for either side were reduced to a minimum and there was no further addition to the scoreline.
Half-time: Luton Town Youth 3 Dagenham & Redbridge Youth 0
As with the first half, the Hatters struck early in the second with a brilliant individual goal for Belgrove.
The striker took possession of the ball just inside the Daggers’ half and went on a mazy run, beating three defenders before driving into the box and finishing side-footed past the keeper.
Once again like in the opening period, after the early goal the game was even without many goalscoring chances.
The only negative for The Hatters was a late injury to James Verney, who appeared to damage his ankle late on having replaced Craig just before the hour mark.
"We were all delighted with the way we started the game and could have easily been four or five up in a quick space of time,” manager Paul Driver told lutontown.co.uk.
“I thought we applied ourselves quite well after that and Scott's great solo effort so soon after the break effectively put the game to bed for us.
“Above all, though, the obvious bonus on the day was the clean sheet, which the defenders deserved after the work they have done on and off the pitch this week.”
Luton: Gooch, Bean (c), James, Murray, Sorunke, Jones, Phelan, Sorunke, Belgrove, Craig (Verney 58), Tomlinson. Subs Not Used. Mead, Cotter, Snelus, Read.