U23 Report: Saints 1-1 Stoke

The young Saints’ go-to man so far this season, Dan N’Lundulu, pounced to put Radhi Jaïdi’s side in front eight minutes into the second half, but Jake Dunwoody’s smart finish levelled things up nine minutes later.

Having been on the back foot for most of the game, the visitors finished strongly and Jack Bycroft was called upon to make a couple of crucial late saves to ensure Saints would not leave emptyhanded.

Saints went close to an opener in the very first minute, when Kayne Ramsay picked out Alex Jankewitz in the box, whose sharp turn bought him a yard of space, but his shot just whistled past the far post and beyond the reach of the sliding N’Lundulu.

Then N’Lundulu raced on to Callum Slattery’s ball over the top and shrugged aside the last defender, only to be denied by goalkeeper Blondy Nna Noukeu.

At the other end, Kayne Ramsay made a flying clearance to preserve parity, before Bycroft repelled a shot from distance in an entertaining opening.

That lively start gave way to a scrappy first half that never lived up to its early promise. 

Kameron Ledwidge tested Noukeu from the edge of the box, before Slattery eyed up the top corner from a free-kick awarded in an inviting position, but the ball sailed narrowly over the top.

Bycroft was a mere spectator for much of the first period, but did have to be alert soon after the interval to keep his side on level terms, as Gabriel Kyeremateng fed Julien Ngoy, who was thwarted by the legs of the young stopper as he spread himself well.

It would prove a pivotal moment, as Saints went down the other end to break the deadlock through N’Lundulu, who reacted quickest in a crowded penalty area to drill the ball into the corner of the net on the turn from six yards.

The visitors should really have drawn level before they did, as substitute Patrick Jarrett steered a gilt-edged chance wide from Kyeremateng’s lay-off, but Stoke would not be denied as Dunwoody struck the equaliser with an unerring low drive from 20 yards.

The goal gave the Potters confidence, and Cameron McJannet might have done better when he headed wide from a corner, before Bycroft twice came to Saints’ aid late on, latterly a sharp reflex save with his feet to preserve a point.