U21's v QPR today

[MurciaAl]

Strong team put out for the U21's, includes AMB, Hector, Terry Taylor, Fiorini, Assimwe and Campbell.

0-0 after 25 minutes

[MurciaAl]

0-0 half time, not too exciting, final ball in the box has been awful!

[aaronaldo]

I've only seen glimpses of this but it looked quite slow in terms of tempo / urgency. Definitely felt like a game where players were there to get fitness levels up.

T Taylor looks neat and tidy but nothing to shout about.

What did you think MurciaAl?

Edit: Ah didn't realise QPR are top of the table. Good result to beat them then!

[MurciaAl]

Finished 1-0 to us, Ewan Williams pouncing on a loose ball and slams it in the back of the net. Pretty scrappy game overall.

Of the more senior players,

AMB - nothing much to do, kicking was OK today
Hector - bit of a stroll really, some lovely long range passing and some awful ones as well.
Terry Taylor - Just don't know what to make of this lad, neat and tidy, doesn't do much wrong, but that's pretty much it!
Fiorini - just don't know why he is here, no better than our own youngsters, we're just getting him fit!
Campbell - Did nothing to speak of, very average.
Assimwe - best player on the pitch for me, solid and got up and down the line well

[Mundell]

I saw a fair bit of this and really didn’t know what to make of it. It all seemed very low key, though in part that may be because of the complete lack of atmosphere. The two teams comprised kids with no experience of senior football and players with a lot of league experience, but it wasn’t easy for the latter to impose themselves. 

Hector strolled through the game, but he often appears to do that in League One. Terry Taylor and Fiorini are both a real conundrum. The former looked organised and effective without really standing out while Fiorini struggled to get into the game. Fiorini, who is still only 21, played regularly for Lincoln City in League One two seasons ago and finished last season starting for Blackpool in the Championship. Taylor started for Burton until he was injured in early February last year. What’s happened to them? Might they still come good? 

Asiimwe did well, but didn’t stand out technically while it would have been hard to guess that T Campbell has over fifty League One appearances. 

Our most impressive “juniors” were Gough and Enslin. 

All in all, the impression given was that the step up to men’s football is huge. Paradoxically though, players that are ready for men’s football (because they have significant experience of it) may not stand out as much as might be expected. Judging who can and cannot make it is obviously very tough. 

[jonkool]

Good points made in above posts.

A comment made on Charlton TV about playing games at the training ground duly echoed above … no atmosphere which generates minimal match day intensity.

Taylor and Fiorini will have been training regularly with the 1st team squad and in Nathan we will trust as to whether he sees a future for either of them at the club. As he had Academy coaching experience with us he will also have an opinion about the retained list of Academy graduates. It does sound that he has a great deal of say in terms of players with Andy Scott concentrating on other aspects of the management of the football side of the business.