Our Under-21s were victorious for the first time since the turn of the year on Friday night, beating Stoke City 2-1 in our second Premier League 2 fixture after the winter break.
Wayne Burnett’s side leapfrogged the Potters with the win at the bet365 Stadium, moving up to seventh in the 29-team league table.
We took the lead after just four minutes through Reiss Russell-Denny after a neat move by Luca Williams-Barnett and Tynan Thompson, heading into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Stoke pulled level in the 56th minute through an impressive free-kick by Chinonso Chibueze, but substitute Rio Kyerematen secured all three points with a winner with 12 minutes to play.
It was the perfect start, opening the scoring with our first attacking move of the game through Russell-Denny. Williams-Barnett received the ball inside our half and used some trickery to find space and travel over the half-way line, where he spotted Thompson. He beat his marker to the byline before turning and finding Russell-Denny in the centre of the penalty area, who calmly slotted home.
After the early goal, we controlled the first half, but had to be alert to a series of Stoke counter-attacks. The Potters’ first chance of the game came through Chibueze, who tested Luca Gunter from distance in the eighth minute, which the goalkeeper had covered, shuffling to his right to get down and smother the bouncing ball.
Gunter was then called into action again, being required to punch a dangerous-looking Stoke corner out for another, which was headed well wide by Lewis Bailey.
