EFL YOUTH ALLIANCE LEAGUE SOUTH EAST
Saturday February 12th 2022, 10.30am
Moulton College
NORTHAMPTON TOWN UNDER 18S 3
Miguel Ngwa 9
Jack Connor 47 pen, 76 pen
MILTON KEYNES DONS UNDER 18S 1
Dani Lucas 89
Cobblers: Tom Ladyman, Brad Smith-Howes, Reece Irwin, Tom Cartwright, Courtney Lashley (sub Ayo Lekuti 74), Jacob Scott (sub Josh Brown 46), Dylan Hill, Miguel Ngwa (sub Rico Duggan 65), Ethan Lack (sub Kai O’Keeffe 71), Jack Connor, Kenny Ndefo (sub Conor Thomas 82)
Northampton Town Under 18s ended the regular season with a 3-1 win at home to bottom-of-the-table Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday morning.
Jack Connor scored two penalties and Miguel Ngwa scored the young Cobblers’ other goal as they moved into sixth place in the EFL Youth Alliance League South East.
Coach Shane Goddard made two changes to the team that defeated group winners AFC Wimbledon last week, as Reece Irwin and Jacob Scott replaced Josh Brown and Ayo Lekuti in the starting lineup.
The Cobblers were on top in the first half, especially early on.
Their first chance came seven minutes in, Ethan Lack knocking down Courtney Lashley’s deep cross to Connor, who was beaten to the ball in the middle by a defender.
Connor was involved again when the hosts took the lead two minutes later, holding off his man and laying the ball off to Ngwa, who smashed home from the penalty spot.
Ngwa almost turned provider on the half-an-hour mark, but Connor headed over from his whipped cross.
MK Dons’ only real opportunity of the first period fell 10 minutes before the break, when Tom Ladyman was nearly caught out by a looping shot from long range that hit the crossbar.
Ngwa almost caught out Ladyman’s opposite number with an inswinging cross shortly before the interval, but Jonathan MacAuley recovered in time to punch the ball clear as it dipped on target.
Connor doubled the Cobblers’ advantage when he fired home from 12 yards after a defender handled in the area early in the second half.
The striker sealed all three points in the final quarter-of-an-hour with his 10th goal in seven games, converting from the penalty spot again after Kenny Ndefo was brought down by goalkeeper MacAuley.
MK Dons scored a late consolation when substitute Dani Lucas found the back of the net after a goalmouth scramble, but it had little impact on the result as the Cobblers saw out a relatively comfortable win.
It means that the youth team go into the Merit League with three wins in a row and a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 6
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 2
CORNERS: (2) 4
FOULS: (10) 20
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 1
MK DONS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (0) 2
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (3) 4
CORNERS: (2) 2
FOULS: (6) 13
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 1