Match report: Boro U21s 1 Stoke City 4

BORO’s young guns slumped to a heavy 4-1 defeat against Stoke City tonight as their Under-21 Premier League Cup hopes were shattered.

After a three-week festive break, the Teessiders were caught cold by three first-half goals in only five minutes as the Potters ran riot at Victoria Park.

Lead coach Paul Jenkins welcomed Bryn Morris and Bradley Fewster back into his starting line-up after the pair’s respective loan spells at Burton Albion and Preston ended.

There were also starts for England Under-17s star Hayden Coulson, defender Adam Jackson and forward Charlie Wyke, who spent three months on loan at Hartlepool United earlier this season.

But in a first half to forget, Boro’s youngsters were put to the sword in merciless fashion by an impressive Stoke side who currently sit joint bottom of the Under-21 Premier League.

It took eight minutes for Boro to work their first opportunity with Wyke testing Potters goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai, but that was as good as it got for the hosts who went on to concede three quick-fire goals.

Stoke took the lead on 10 minutes when striker George Waring took advantage of a mistake from Boro’s Callum Cooke and rifled the ball past Connor Ripley.

Moments later the Potters extended their lead as Ollie Shenton headed home unmarked from a corner, and then straight from the kick-off Shenton fed Waring again, with the towering Stoke front man flicking the ball into the net.

Totally shell-shocked, Boro slowly began to find their feet in the game but it was Stoke who almost grabbed a fourth on 25 minutes when Eddy Lecygne’s free-kick crept wide.

But on the half hour Lecygne got the goal his display deserved, racing clear of the Boro defence and striking past Ripley to give the visitors an unassailable lead.

To their credit, Boro didn’t let their heads go down and pulled one back three minutes later when Fewster flicked on to Wyke, with the youngster fizzing a shot into the net.

Trailing 4-1 at the break, Boro gathered themselves in the second period with Jenkins bringing on Ryan Brobbel at the break in place of teenager Coulson.

On 55 minutes Fewster almost reduced the deficit but his powerful drive was pushed away by Gyollai, while Jones fired over as Boro toiled in the final third.

Then on 70 minutes Brobbel weaved in from the right and rattled off the crossbar, before Fewster himself hit the woodwork.

But it wasn’t to be as Boro’s youngsters suffered an evening to forget at Victoria Park.

BORO: Ripley, Bennett, Burn (c), Jackson, Coulson (Brobbel 46), Morris, Tinkler, Jones, Cooke (Kitching 59), Fewster, Wyke. Subs not used: Coddington, Weledji, Maloney.