Northampton Town Under 18s began their 2023-24 pre-season schedule with a 9-0 win at home to Kettering Town on Saturday morning.
Aleks Jevterevs scored a hat-trick, Neo Dobson and Ollie Evans both netted braces whilst Jacob Scott and Charlie Carroll bagged the young Cobblers’ other goals as they were victorious on their return to match action after the summer break.
The hosts opened the scoring on the quarter-of-an-hour mark when captain Scott nodded James Owen’s floated free-kick across goal and into the far corner.
Dobson doubled the lead soon after, running onto Harry Guess’ bouncing through ball and looping an effort over the onrushing ’keeper.
The striker swept Matty Ireland’s driven ball across goal into the back of the net to extend the advantage less than a minute later.
Jamari Hart was denied by the woodwork twice before the break, cutting inside from the right and crashing a strike off the crossbar before driving towards goal and having another powerful effort smack the inside of the post.
Three half-time substitutes got on the scoresheet as the Cobblers doubled their tally before the hour mark. Jevterevs turned in the box and his low shot nestled in the bottom corner, Evans drew the ‘keeper off his line and calmly lobbed him from close range and Carroll drilled a half-volley into the far corner from a tight angle.
Jevterevs doubled his tally going into the final 20 minutes, pouncing on a loose ball from a deep corner and poking across the line at the far post.
The striker headed Ireland’s looping cross home to complete his hat-trick soon after.
Evans rounded-off the scoring late on when he side-footed home from close range after Carroll rounded the ‘keeper and squared the ball.
The youth team will travel to Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire for a four-day training camp on Sunday. The trip will end with their second pre-season friendly fixture, an away match against Grimsby Town on Wednesday.
Cobblers: Marcus Bald, Will Ronald, Leo Jenkins, Kiantay Licorish-Mullings, Matty Ireland, James Owen, Reuben Wyatt, Harry Guess, Jacob Scott, Jamari Hart, Neo Dobson
Substitutes: Aaron Cashmore, Freddie Finlay, Josh Rayfield, Charlie Carroll, Oliver Evans, Aleks Jevterevs