Report and reactionLiverpool U21s beat Kidderminster in pre-season friendly

Barry Lewtas’ side overcame the National League North club’s first team thanks to excellent first-half finishes from Jake Cain and Leighton Clarkson, and a late poacher’s goal by Oakley Cannonier.

Goalkeeper Luke Hewitson made several fine saves throughout a competitive contest at Aggborough.

Lewtas told Liverpoolfc.com: “The lads played really well against senior opposition, which is why we play these games: it’s a good workout physically but also you’re playing against players who understand the game and can put real pressure on us from a physical point of view. I’m really pleased.”

Kidderminster pulled a goal back early in the second half and Lewtas was delighted with how his players responded to that setback.

He continued: “There was a few thousand in the ground and I think in the first half we managed to quieten them a bit. We had full control of the game.

“They caught us a couple of times on the counter-attack which you’d expect, I think, when you’ve got them penned in. But second half, early on probably isn’t when you want to concede and that was disappointing.

“It gave them a bit of momentum as well. They’d brought subs on, they looked a little bit fresher and it gave them that little bit of enthusiasm. That was probably a spell in the game where we lacked a bit of control.

“I think they went up a level in the second half as they had a point to prove after we’d been really good in the first half. But I think we got control back of the game and I was pleased.”

Liverpool U21s: Hewitson, Stephenson, Jonas (Quansah, 54), Chambers, Norris, Clarkson (Woltman, 59), Bearne (Corness, 46), Cain, Clark (Cannonier, 46), Musialowski (O’Rourke, 46), Stewart (Blair, 46).

Unused substitute: Morana.