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Report: Colchester 1-2 Saints

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Goals from Sam McQueen and Olufela Olomola sealed the win for Martin Hunter’s men against the League 2 outfit.

The result leaves Saints on four points and second in the group, two behind Crawley Town, who they face in their final group game in November at St Mary’s.

Hunter was able to call upon Harrison Reed, Jake Hesketh and McQueen for the game, while Olomola started after being named on the bench for the first team against Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Leicester City.

Saints had impressed in their cup opener against Charlton in August, and they started on the front foot in Essex.

The opening goal came after just eight minutes, as McQueen headed Thomas O’Connor’s corner home at the near post. It was the defender’s second goal against the U’s, having scored while on loan at Southend United last season.

The goal seemed to wake the hosts up, as Denny Johnstone went close shortly before they found the equaliser. It was Johnstone’s pass that created the goal, as he found Dion Sembie-Ferris, who applied the finish from a tight angle.

As the game edged towards half time, Saints went within a few inches of regaining the lead.

Olomola closed down opposing goalkeeper James Bransgrove and the ball broke kindly for Tyreke Johnson, but the winger was unfortunate to see his effort from long range drift just wide of the far post.

Just as they had in the opening period, it was Saints who made the brightest start following the interval.

They were rewarded for their efforts with 51 minutes on the clock, as Josh Sims did brilliantly down the right to cross for Olomola, who applied a powerful finish from six yards.

The striker’s goal capped an excellent week for the youngster, having been named on the bench for the draws with Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Leicester City.

The hosts introduced striker Chris Porter in the hope of finding an equaliser, and with 18 minutes remaining it looked like he would do just that. But Alfie Jones produced a brilliant defensive block to keep Saints ahead.

Hunter’s side then went close to doubling their lead, as Johnson was found by Olomola, but Colchester goalkeeper Bransgrove made a smart save low down to his right.

There would be no late drama for Saints, as they held on to make it four points from their opening two games.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 05/10/2016 00:06:19

| | In the mag: The making of Zlatan! Your football bucket list! Spurs’ new hero interviewed!FOURFOURTWO |

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 05/10/2016 01:06:38

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| McGreal vows to field strong side against Southampton under-23s in Checkatrade TrophyGAZETTENEWS |

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Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

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Official Members can now buy tickets for #SaintsFC’s #UEL home clash with @Inter, as well as Hapoel Be’er Sheva: https://cards.twitter.com/cards/rh0us/28qsz

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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

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Official Members can now buy tickets for the #EFLCup clash with #SAFC, as #SaintsFC go for a quarter-final place: https://cards.twitter.com/cards/rh0us/2avsh

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Video: Cup win delights Hunter

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Hunter pleased with win over Colchester

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Goals from Sam McQueen and Olufela Olomola helped Saints see off their League 2 opponents at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

The win leaves Saints on four points from their opening two games, and Hunter was understandably pleased with their professional display against the U’s.

“I’m delighted. I thought we played very well in both halves. Perhaps we didn’t have the consistency that we wanted, but overall we’ve created a lot of chances,” Hunter said.

“I’m very pleased with the players individually, and obviously collectively as a team.

“I thought for the 20 minutes of the first half and the first 30 minutes of the second half we were the dominant team, some of our attacking play was excellent.

“The number of crosses into the box, particularly in the second half, was very, very pleasing.”

Saints had to dig deep towards the end to ensure they took the three points back to the south coast, and while Hunter says there’s still work to be done, he was impressed with the victory.

“Without sounding too hard on the players, the chances they had were by our poor play on the whole,” Hunter added.

“There are things we can always work on, but to come here and get the three points is very, very pleasing.”

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Checkatrade Trophy round-up: Several Premier League academies crash out

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A review of Tuesday night’s action in the Checkatrade Trophy as Everton U23s, West Ham U23s and Stoke U23s all crashed out.

West Ham U23s did little to improve the current morale at the east London club as they were beaten 3-0 by Wycombe. Adebayo Akinfenwa, Scott Kashket and Nick Freeman were on target for the League Two side, while there were also defeats for the academies of Premier League sides Middlesbrough, Everton, West Brom and Stoke.

Boro were edged out 2-1 by Cambridge, the Toffees went down by the same scoreline at Cheltenham despite taking a fifth-minute lead, while Charlie Adam scored the solitary goal for Stoke, who were beaten 3-1 by Morecambe at the Globe Arena.

The Baggies lost 2-0 at Luton, who struck twice in two second-half minutes through Alex Gilliead and Jake Gray.

There were eight all-League One clashes on the night, including Bradford beating Bury 2-1, Coventry seeing off Northampton Town and Fleetwood suffering a 2-0 reverse at home to Oldham.

Millwall came from a goal down to get the better of Gillingham 2-1 at The Den, Peterborough were reduced to a 1-0 defeat at home to MK Dons and league leaders Scunthorpe scored once in each half as they beat Shrewsbury 2-0.

Sheffield United went down 2-1 at home to Walsall, while Swindon needed penalties (3-1) to see off Oxford following a 0-0 draw at the County Ground.

Sammy Ameobi’s fourth-minute strike from close range proved to be the difference as Sky Bet League One’s Bolton beat League Two outfit Blackpool.

The Trotters’ decent start to the season has derailed in recent weeks - Phil Parkinson’s side went into the match without a win since August 20 - but they got back on track with a 1-0 victory over the Seasiders.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Sunderland U23s, who claimed a 1-0 success at Hartlepool, Southampton’s youngsters, who won 2-1 against Colchester, and Leicester’s academy. The Foxes needed a 64th-minute Kairo Mitchell goal to get the better of 10-man Grimsby 1-0.

Norwich’s youth side turned on the style in the second half to thrash Barnet 5-0 after the hosts had gone down to 10 men in the first period and Brighton’s academy needed a shoot-out to get over the line at Stevenage, winning 4-3 on penalties following an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Lamex Stadium.

Sky Bet League One’s AFC Wimbledon came from a goal down to emerge on top against Plymouth of League Two, while Bristol Rovers beat Yeovil 5-4 on penalties.

There were wins elsewhere for Carlisle, Crawley, Accrington and Wolves U23s, who beat Blackburn U23s, Charlton, Chesterfield and Crewe respectively, while Marc-Antoine Fortune fired a late winner for Southend as they triumphed over Leyton Orient 1-0 at Roots Hall.

In the night’s other ties, Doncaster beat Derby U23s 4-2 on penalties, Mansfield took a 1-0 victory from their trip to Port Vale, Reading U23s edged a penalty shoot-out against Portsmouth 4-3 following a 2-2 draw at Fratton Park, and Rochdale produced a second-half comeback to see off Notts County 2-1 at Spotland.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Goal capped great week for Olomola

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The striker was named on the bench for the first team’s games against Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Leicester City, before leading the line for Martin Hunter’s side against the U’s.

Olomola scored the winning goal at the Weston Homes Community Stadium to put Saints in a great position to progress beyond the group stages.

And the striker says the winning goal was the perfect way to round off a big week on an individual level.

“It’s been a good week for myself being in and around the first team, but I have to keep working hard for the Under-23s and hopefully my chances will come,” Olomola said.

“I saw Simsy running to the byline and the defenders had gone deep, so I held my run and found myself in a good position. Thankfully I scored.”

Olomola was also pleased with the team’s performance, as they showed their character against the League 2 outfit.

“We are delighted with the three points. Colchester were strong and physical. They’re good at what they do, so to get the three points is a great feeling,” he added.

“It’s always good to make a positive start and it’s something we talk about in the dressing room before every game. It was really good to get that early goal.

“Getting that goal calms any nerves and gives us a good platform to go and play.

“You can see our character. We’re not a team that will just roll over when things get hard for us.

“They are a lot more direct and physical than teams in our league, so we have to be smarter with how we approach the game.”

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Video: Olomola on winner against Colchester

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Colchester 1-2 Southampton - in pictures

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A fantastic night for the academy here as they defeat Colchester United 2-1 at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

The Daily Echo’s Stuart Martin was at the match to bring you all the action - simply scroll though the images above.

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Rising Saints star Olufela Olomola received some words of wisdom from Martin Hunter

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RISING star Olufela Olomola has been told to keep his feet firmly on the ground after a superb goal in Saints’ Checkatrade Trophy victory at Colchester United.

Striker Olomola earned himself a place on bench for Claude Puel’s first team in the last two games against Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Leicester City with Jay Rodriguez out injured.

The academy star then capped off a proud week, firing the club’s under-23s to a superb 2-1 victory at Colchester.

Martin Hunter, Saints’ technical director, hailed his side’s performance and singled out his 18-year-old forward for praise – although gave him some words of wisdom at the same time.

He said: “He’s doing very well, but he needs to keep his feet on the floor and understand that there’s a long way to go in terms of getting into the first team.

“But performances like tonight will help him do that.”

Hunter also applauded his captain Harrison Reed and hinted that the defensive midfielder should be making a notable impact on Puel’s team this campaign.

Reed has already made a first team appearance against Crystal Palace in the ELF Cup, demonstrating his maturity with a great display.

And from Hunter’s appraisal, there’s potential for the 21-year-old to make a big breakthrough this term.

“He was outstanding tonight and at times ran the game,” he said. “That’s what we need for him. It’s another 90 minutes under his belt.

“The first team have got loads and loads of games coming up, so it’s very important.”

He added: “He’s a leader and a winner. He wants to win and doesn’t except below par standard from himself and his team.

“That’s great news for the club and great news for him.”

Hunter has also stated that the relationship between the academy and first team is closer than ever.

“There is no gap,” he said. “It’s part of what we do. Claude is very interested in all our young players and how they develop and understand that some of them are going to take longer than others.

“I don’t think there’s a gap. It’s the academy that builds its way into the first team.”

After the victory at Colchester, Saints are edging closer to qualification from Southern Group E and into the knockout stages of the Checkatrade Trophy.

“The under-23 league is important,” said Hunter. “This gives it a different emphasis in terms of the physicality in terms of the players they’re playing against.

"For us it’s very important we do well in this competition.

“It gives them more experience, gives them more of a chance to learn.”

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Colchester 1-2 Southampton Under-23s: Olomola secures Trophy win

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FOR what is surely the first time, an Eastleigh match attracted a bigger crowd than a Saints fixture for a competitive match against league opposition.

But the 52 hardy Saints fans who made the trip round the M25 will have been encouraged by the performance of the Under 23s last night.

Martin Hunter’s side emerged with much credit against the League Two outfit in front of a crowd of 791- the lowest ever at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, since it opened in 2008.

Saints U23s’ first win in the Checkatrade Trophy came courtesy of goals early in each half for Sam McQueen and Olufela Olomola.

It follows the 0-0 draw at Charlton Athletic in their opening group game and, just to show what it meant to the Saints tyros, was met with several fist-pumps.

But it was not just the result that will have encouraged Hunter and Les Reed. The Saints starlets will have learnt a lot from the way they played together against battle-hardened League Two players.

It was another big step along the learning curve for the likes of Olomola, or ‘Fela’ as he prefers to be known, who scored the winner in the 51st minute.

A strong, versatile and clever striker, he cannot be too far away from a first-team debut.

Honours were even at half-time after Sam McQueen’s near-post finish from Thomas O’Connor’s right-flank corner was cancelled out by Dion Sembie-Ferris, who scored his first senior goal with a clinical 22nd-minute finish.

McQueen’s opener was the left-back’s second goal against the Us, having also scored against them during his loan spell at Southend last season.

O’Connor soon had a shot saved from Hesketh’s pass, but Colchester did not take long to respond.

Saints centre-half Ollie Cook had done well to take the sting out of a Danny Johnstone header, but he was at fault when the home side equalised.

Cook was caught flat footed and after failing to retrieve the ball from Sammie Szmodics, Colchester’s dangerous number ten, the ball was slipped to Sembie-Ferris who fired left-footed into the far corner.

Saints had a good chance to restore their lead but after a slick exchange of passes with Hesketh, Olomola’s shot was well saved.

Another chance was created by the tenacious Josh Sims, who regained possession by hounding Lewis Kinsella, before dancing past the left-back with a wonderful piece of skill.

McQueen could not make the most of the chance at the back post and Kinsella soon went into the book for a foul on Sims.

Hesketh had a shot saved after running at the back four and then shinned one over the bar before Olomola’s shot was deflected behind.

Then, with Colchester keeper James Bransgrove stranded following an attempted clearance, Saints wide-man Tyreke Johnson’s left-footed chip from the edge of the area sailed just wide of the far post.

Saints’ lead was restored six minutes into the second half.

Olomola had needed treatment shortly after the break but he was soon on the scoresheet.

The teenager slammed in the second from six yards at the near post following Sims’ cross from the right.

Sims and Johnson soon switched flanks and the former’s expertly weighted pass down the left was crossed first time by McQueen, whose cross deserved an end product, as did Reed’s from a similar position.

Sims volleyed just wide at the far post as Saints continued to create the better chances.

Alfie Jones’ timely block denied Colchester their first notable attempt of the second half before Saints threatened a third on the counter attack.

Olomola, having been booked for a foul on Luke Prosser, raced down the left and crossed for Johnson, whose shot was well saved by a diving Bransgrove.

Colchester had their first shot on target of the second half with 15 minutes remaining, but substitute Tariq Issa’s long-range effort was straight at Lewis.

Saints defender Jones was given a taster of the sort of heckling that can be expected in league football when he completely missed the ball in front of the main stand.

But otherwise it was a composed performance, from front to back.

Saints goalkeeper Harry Lewis produced the save of the night with ten minutes remaining when he dived low to his left to keep out a powerful shot from Issa.

McQueen became the third Saints player to be booked but then produced a surging run from inside his own half to the edge of the Colchester penalty area.

He found Hesketh, who missed out after trying to cut on to his right foot. But Saints were soon celebrating a deserved win.

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Sourced from Mirror.co.uk article

New Tinkerman Puel hailed as Saints make it six unbeaten - ALL with clean sheets

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After a shaky start under their new manager, Saints have put together a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions — without conceding ONCE in those matches - including Sunday’s 0-0 away to champions Leicester.

Their form is all the more impressive as Frenchman Puel has made sweeping changes for every match with Southampton competing in three different competitions – the league, Europa League and EFL Cup.

Southampton’s Tinkerman has made a staggering total of 44 changes to his starting line-ups during the unbeaten run.

Midfielder Romeu said: “I think that we are doing well because the coach is being clever.

“We make five or six changes from the last game, and that’s what we have to do this year because we are in more competitions."

Saints last conceded when Arsenal beat them 2-1 on a controversial stoppage-time penalty by Santi Cazorla in September 10.

Since then, they have beaten Sparta Prague, Swansea, Crystal Palace and West Ham, and played out goalless draws with Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Leicester.

“So far we are proving we have a large enough squad with the quality to do these kind of rotations, so we are going to stick to it," added Romeu.

“He works tactically a lot and that comes out with those clean-sheets that we just got in the last five or six games.”

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Saints’ Europa League group rivals caught up in ‘sexism’ row

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Sparta Prague have told two of their players to train with the club’s women’s team after making “unacceptable” comments about a female match official at the weekend.

Midfielder Lukas Vacha, 27, and goalkeeper Tomas Koubek, 24, both played for the Czech club in their recent 3-0 Europa League loss at Southampton.

Both made remarks about Lucie Ratajova in the wake of Sparta’s 3-3 draw with Zbrojovka Brno on Sunday, where Ratajova was an assistant referee.

Koubek was reported to have said women belong “at the stove” while it was added that Vacha called her “the cooker”.

Vacha and Koubek will now spend time with the Czech club’s women’s team as well as being ambassadors at tomorrow’s UEFA Women’s Champions League match between Sparta and Twente in Holland.

Sparta chief executive Adam Kotalik described the comments as unacceptable, and said in a statement: “In addition to being ambassadors in the Women’s Champions League, both will report to the head of Sparta women’s football, Dusan Zovince, and attend several training sessions with one of our female teams, to see for themselves that women can be handy not only at the stove.”

Vacha and Koubek, who are both Czech Republic internationals, were contrite.

Koubek wrote on his Facebook page: "Immediately after the match I made a comment that I regret and for which I would like to apologise to all women for.

“It was not meant to be chauvinistic, my statement was directed at a specific person and a specific situation that arose in the match.”

Vacha said on Twitter: “This comment was directed to a specific error that affected the outcome of the game, not to any other women. If it offended some, I would like to make it clear that it was not meant in any way to be chauvinistic.”

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Sourced from Daily and Sunday Express article

Chances created by every club in the Premier League 2016/17 | Sport Galleries | Pics | Daily Express

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Click through the gallery for a look at how many chances each Premier League team has created this season so far [GETTY]

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Watch the goals from #SaintsFC’s 2-1 win against #ColU in the #CheckatradeTrophy: https://grabyo.com/g/v/vBFjOFPxhr7

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