U21 Report: Newcastle 5-3 Saints

Saints raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening six minutes as Dom Ballard scored an early brace.

The hosts worked their way back into the game and levelled proceedings with a quickfire double of their own through an Amadou Diallo penalty and Ben Parkinson finish.

Newcastle took the lead in first half stoppage time as Nathan Carlyon volleyed home from a corner that wasn’t fully cleared.

Substitute Jay Turner-Cooke added further gloss to the result for the hosts with a well-taken brace in the closing stages.

There was still time for a late red card for Carlyon before Ballard reduced the deficit with his third of the game, but it was too little, too late for Saints.

Derrick Abu and Adli Mohamed made their Saints Under-21s debuts. (Photos: Serena Taylor)

Southampton lined up with a range of faces new and old to kick-start the 2023/24 season, looking to build on their title win from last campaign as they entered a new Premier League 2 format.

Dom Ballard captained the side, with Kamari Doyle, Tyler Dibling and Jayden Meghoma completing a quartet of players that featured for the first team during pre-season.

Stepping up from last season’s Under-18s at both ends of the pitch were goalkeeper Adli Mohamed and forward Princewill Ehibhatiomhan, whilst summer signing Derrick Abu made his debut at right-back.

It was Saints who started fastest as Ballard picked up his scoring exploits from last season within a minute of the new campaign.

Ryan Finnigan diverted an under-hit pass from Newcastle goalkeeper Jude Smith into the path of Ballard, who punished the error with a left-footed finish into the bottom right corner.

One quickly became two as Ballard scored his and Saints’ second goal in the sixth minute; Finnigan was on hand again, this time breaking up a Newcastle counter and finding Doyle who set Ballard away, giving the clinical striker space to cut inside and fire his shot into the top left corner.

Dom Ballard scored a brace in the opening six minutes.

After their shaky start, the hosts started to find their footing and began to create opportunities of their own as a dangerous Parkinson cross flashed across goal but just behind the onrushing Diallo.

Doyle almost responded with a third goal that could have put the game to bed before the half hour, but his shot from the edge of the area was gathered by Smith in goal.

However, it was Newcastle who were next to find the back of the net as they were gifted the opportunity from the penalty spot after Mohamed collided with Charlie McArthur in an attempt to clear a deep free-kick.

Diallo stepped up and drilled his shot into the bottom right corner to halve the deficit, before the young Magpies had further cause for celebration as they completed a quickfire double of their own.

Less than three minutes later, a cut-back from the right hand side found Parkinson in the penalty area who calmly stroked home the equaliser.

Saints almost restored their lead as Ballard’s relentless running continued to plague the Newcastle defence; the striker beat his man to a loose ball and drove into the penalty area before finding Doyle in the box, whose clever backheel rolled just past the post.

It was the hosts who ended the half on top, however, and went close through Lucas De Bolle who flashed an effort just wide before Mohamed then produced a smart stop to deny Diallo’s near post shot.

A minute later the Saints resolve was breached for the third time as a corner wasn’t fully cleared and Carlyon volleyed home the loose ball from just inside the area.

Princewill Ehibhatiomhan has a shot on goal.

The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Saints pressing hard in search of an early goal. Ballard had the ball in the back of the net once more in the 49th minute, only to be pulled back for offside.

Ehibhatiomhan began to work his way into the contest and came close with a driving run and shot that was well-saved, before he went even closer to finding an equaliser with a left-footed effort inside the area which agonisingly rolled onto the far post.

Just before the hour mark, Mohamed had to be alert to smother a Lewis Miley shot at close range after he beat two Saints defenders inside the box.

Saints responded as the game became more stretched, with Finnigan releasing Dibling who was denied in a one-on-one opportunity before Ballard directed a header straight at the goalkeeper. 

Another chance went begging moments later as a poor clearance fell to Doyle, but his one-on-one attempt was also saved.

Substitute Diamond Edwards almost made an instant impact after his 65th-minute introduction with a mazy run and some impressive close control in the area, but his eventual shot was deflected away for a corner.

Kamari Doyle went close to pulling a goal back.

The Southampton pressure didn’t pay off and it was the hosts who delivered a sucker-punch with their fourth goal at a crucial time - Diallo’s deflected shot looped to the far post where substitute Jay Turner-Cooke volleyed home.

Less than five minutes later Turner-Cooke put the result beyond any doubt with another well-taken finish, this time collecting the ball on the right wing, shifting inside and finding the top corner with a powerful strike.

The action didn’t end there though, as the hosts were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages after captain Carlyon was given a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.

There was still time for one more goal during the 12 minutes of stoppage time added on and Ballard completed his hat-trick with another smart piece of play, taking the ball around the goalkeeper and tapping in.

It proved too little, too late for a dramatic late turnaround though as Saints return to Hampshire empty handed.

Newcastle: Smith, Wiggett, Murphy, McArthur (Stanton 71), Savage, Carlyon (c), Diallo, J. Miley (Hackett-Valton 84), Parkinson (Huntley 71), L. Miley, De Bolle (Turner-Cooke 71).

Subs not used: Brown. 

Goals: Diallo 30, Parkinson 33, Carlyon 45+5, Turner-Cooke 76, 81.

Yellow cards: Parkinson 40, Carlyon 45, 86, Diallo 50, J. Miley 80, Turner-Cooke 90+11.

Red cards: Carlyon 86

Saints: Mohamed, Abu (Davis 46), Hewlett, Carson, Meghoma, Bragg, Dibling, Finnigan, Ballard (c), Doyle, Ehibhatiomhan (Edwards 65).

Subs not used: McNamara, Lett, Stepien-Iwumene.

Goals: Ballard 2, 6, 90+4.

Yellow cards: Abu 23, Bragg 36, Dibling 54, Edwards 90+13.