LFC Academy Update: Owens pleased despite defeat - Post

Liverpool Daily Post, 5 Oct 2004
Owens pleased despite defeat
Academy football with Chris Wright, Daily Post

DEFENSIVE errors proved costly as Liverpool under-18s lost 3-1 at unbeaten Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

After earning their second FA Premier Academy League victory of the season last week John Owens's side went down to their fifth defeat of the season in the opening seven matches.

Despite playing well in general play a mistake from goalkeeper Paul Willis saw north west divisional leaders Blackburn take the lead. Willis missed a cross which allowed the home striker to head home.

Liverpool equalised just the before the break. Karl Noon scored his fourth goal in his last four matches, after Paul Barratt's strong-running and pass had sent him through on goal to round the goalkeeper and stroke the ball home.
But substitute James Frayne gave the ball away to allow Blackburn to regain the lead from a counter-attack.

Then the unfortunate Frayne also put through his own net as his attempted clearance flew past Willis, as the keeper came out to the edge of his area.

Owens said: "Black-burn are top of our north west league - they have won five and drawn one - so obviously we knew it would be a tough game.

"And although the score says one thing, and we can't get away from that, we actually played very well. I was pleased with the performance just not the score."

He added: "Individual mistakes cost us. The first and third goal were particularly poor from our point of view.

"On the first goal Paul Willis called then never came for it. So it was just down to a goalkeeping error. Unfortunately if a goalkeeper makes an error there is usually no insurance behind him to help him out.

"In the second half we had more of the possession than Blackburn, but James Frayne, who had come on as substitute lost the ball in midfield and they scored from a counter-attack.

"As we pushed for an equaliser James Frayne, in the right-back position, looped the ball into his own goal as he tried to pass back to Paul Willis.

"James is a striker and they have a mentality that is not the same as a defender. But he will have learned not to risk the kind of play he did by the goal in future."

LIVERPOOL UNDER-18s: Willis, Peltier, D Smith (M Roberts 80), J Smith, O'Donnell, Barratt, Wilkie, Guthrie, Noon, C Platt (Frayne 70), Townley (Hammill 70). Unused sub: Paul Lancaster.