Last night the young Imps despatched South Shields with relative ease in the FA Youth Cup to secure a huge third round tie with West Brom.
It was a great night at Sincil Bank, with several people reporting back to me today. I’m still carrying some germs and had it been a warm summer’s night it wouldn’t have stopped me attending but what can I say? I’m as soft as warm cheese.
Still, plenty of people had their beady eyes out for the Stacey West and everything fed back to us is good. It seems that there’s a real collection of talented boys playing for Lincoln City Academy right now, several of which caught the eye.
Ellis Chapman played and although he had a good game, he wasn’t the player most people I’ve spoken to picked up as Man of the Match. If that doesn’t get your pulses racing for the youth we’re harbouring, nothing will.
The evening undoubtedly belonged to one lad who has already been in the first team but has yet to make his debut, Jordan Adebayo-Smith. He bagged a hat trick, the difference between losing 2-1 and winning 4-2, but his performance has earned rave reviews from everyone watching. He’s been likened to Matt Green by some, others say he’s a natural finisher without comparison in the current squad.
With his pace, his eye for goal and his apparent dedication to lost causes, one fan last night told me he was ‘as close as I’ve seen at Lincoln’ to Gareth Ainsworth in his prime. That’s high praise indeed and his goal scoring exploits certainly suggest he’s one to watch.
His pace certainly terrified the opposition and he was as comfortable turning creator as he was finisher. He almost teed up Ellis in the first half, showing an unselfish streak in pulling the ball back. There’s no doubt at all you’ll be hearing lots more from him.
Tim Akinola caught the eye too, he operated in midfield last night but looked ‘commanding and strong’ according to one fan. We’ve been burned with an Akinola before, but this one looks to be on a fast track to the first team. Gianluca Bucci also stood out on the left, he was on a run prior to being fouled in the build up to Adebayo-Smith’s second goal just after half time.
Duncan Idehen had given the Imps the lead with a header from a set piece, proving that to a degree, the method is trickling down throughout the club!!
Aside from the positives for the future, the highly competitive nature of the Under 18s proves that the investment at that level of the club is paying off. The players who have been attracted to Lincoln are clearly talented, with ‘one of our own’ Ellis Chapman right at the head of that queue. Undoubtedly, the current jewel in the crown is Adebayo-Smith, but there’s enough quality to suggest that several could emerge, not just the one or two that we know.
The two poster-boys for the youth set up, first team player Ellis and hattrick hero Adebayo-Smith, spoke to the Youth Academy website after the game, interviews you can watch here. One thing is for certain, last night’s game and win has put the youth on the map, certainly awoken some elements of the fan base to the great work that has gone in. It could be that South Shields on a cold November night was their equivalent of Oldham at home on a foggy December night.
Both were FA Cup games, both were at home, both were won in stylish manner and both set up big matches in the third round. From hereon in, it is imperative you keep an eye on these boys because they’re the Imps’ stars of the future. Think Keith’s class of ’92 all over again.
What a pity that the game is 7pm on a Saturday when the first team at home. Hopefully will still make it but may miss the first 10 minutes.