Baxter denied as U18s share points

Sep 4 2007 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

JOSE BAXTER’S second goal in as many matches helped Everton under-18s maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier Academy League season, but they had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw with Leeds United at Netherton on Saturday.

Neil Dewsnip’s side dropped their first points of the campaign, but it could have been different had another strike from Baxter not been disallowed.

In a close match, both sides had chances to open the scoring but Everton had the best of it.

George Krenn, Louis Codling – in both halves – and Danny Redmond all went close to scoring and from a Baxter free-kick the Leeds keeper saved superbly. But it wasn’t until just past he hour mark that Everton finally got their reward.

Redmond and Moses Barnett did well down the left to create an opportunity for Bootle-born Baxter. The England schoolboy international turned and fired into the bottom corner to add to his winning goal at Tottenham the week before.

Soon after Baxter had another effort chalked off due to offside, but Everton felt aggrieved as the forward looked to have been incorrect.

Everton were made to pay for that when with 15 minutes left Leeds equalised. Following a corner a shot from the edge of box went through a ruck of players and Everton’s Australian keeper Michael McEntagart couldn’t stop it from going into the bottom corner.

Coach Dewsnip said: “We created lots of chances and obviously only scored on. So we could have done better with out finishing. But to be fair Leeds were quite good. They had won their first two games and so had we, so it was quite a competitive game.

“We didn’t pass the ball as we would have liked to have done, yet defensively we were very sound. We were not under too much pressure. So really we just need to improve our passing and our goalscoring really.

Dewsnip added: “It was an excellent goal from Jose Baxter after good work down the left from Moses Barnett and Danny Redmond. Then we had one disallowed for a dubious offside.

“That would have been 2-0 but they equalised and it was a disappointing goal to give away.”

Everton look to keep up their fine start to the campaign when they travel to Newcastle United this Saturday (kick-off 11am).

EVERTON UNDER-18s: McEntagart; Rodwell (Stewart 60), Sinnott, Barnett, McCarten; Krenn, Akpan, O’Kane, Redmond; Baxter (Wallace 75), Codling (Shepperd 75). Subs: Stubhaug.