C’est magnifique! Under 20s get season underway with win over Edusport

Posted on Saturday, August 29th, 2015

Les Atkinson’s u/20’s side made a winning start to the season with a 0-3 win against Edusport at Ainslie Park.

With Edusport, a residential football academy for young French footballers, playing their home games at the Academy, it was the unusual spectacle of Spartans heading out from the visiting changing rooms for the opening tie in the Lowland & EOS U20s Development Qualifying League, Section B.

An early corner for Spartans saw some grappling in the box, with WWE more than football on display as the both sides looked to assert their authority on the game.

Dylan Tait had a 38th minute strike cleared off the line in what was a largely uneventful opening half.

HT: Edusport Academy 0-0 Spartans

The game notably improved after the interval as it started to open up and Dylan Tait was unlucky not to open the scoring in the 57th minute after bursting through the middle however the French keeper made a brave save to deny.

The first goal finally came after 72 minutes when an Andy Mair corner kick was helped into his own net by the home keeper.

It was a feeling of deja vu eight minutes later when Mair attempted a similar dead ball effort, this time the ball going straight in at the back post without the aid of another touch.

With the game edging towards the final whistle, a handball in the Edusport 18 yard box allowed Harry Girdwood to step up and hammer a penalty kick home to complete the scoring.

FT: Edusport Academy 0-3 Spartans

Manager Atkinson said, “Naturally I’m delighted to secure an opening game win against a physically strong Edusport side.  My young team handle the pressure well and it was great to see the practice on the training ground pay off for a couple of the goals too.

“Just as important for me was that we kept a clean sheet too and the new defensive set up and goalkeeper playing together for the first time didn’t disappoint.”