Four Beers Nine Hops

Sheffield United U18 1 v Sheffield Wednesday U18 1
U18 Professional Development League
Saturday 20 April 2019

Hull City 0 v Sheffield United 3
The Championship
Monday 22 April 2019

SUFC 2018/19 Games 85 & 86
2018/19 Football Season Brewery Visits - 103

Twitter @ball_sup
www.twitter.com/ball_sup
Untappd ball_sup

With that both teams at it, battling draw, the U18 Blades finish fourth (of ten) in the U18 Professional Development League North Group. Played 28, won 14, drawn 8, lost just 6. That doesn't sound too bad does it? We are actually level on points with third placed Nottingham Forest. But, they have a much, much better goal difference. These Young Blades & Forest finished on 50 points. Leeds were second on 59 points, pipped to the North Group title by Saturday’s opponents from S6. Wednesday have only lost three times all season. Deserved winners of the North Group. They now go into the play offs for the overall U18 PDL title.

The First Team were up at Shirecliffe training. I walked past Sharp & Basham. Usual overzealous Bubble Match Stewarding. The Carrier Bag Firm Memorabilia Realisation Officer was in reception trying to blag photocopies of the Ref’s Teamsheet. He heard a walkie talkie crackle into life. A steward radioing that he was getting grief from the Sheffield Wednesday Under 18s as they needed to get to the top pitch for their warm up. He’d stopped them, as he’d been told not to let anyone up there until United’s First Team had fucked off. He’d stopped the players who were actually playing that day from going to the pitch. And ….. we’re back in the room. (FFS).

Even the Carrier Bag Firm sometimes find it difficult to make time to rock up for U18 games. That's mainly because they are usually 11am Saturday mornings. So, you have to schedule them in around first team games. The saving grace is the Under 19 Futures team who play in the North Midlands Development Football League. This season, Del Geary has been coaching BOTH the Saturday morning U18 Academy side (playing Leeds for eg) AND the midweek under floodlights U19 Futures side (playing Worksop Town for eg). I've described the U19 Futures side as “Academy Lite”. And, they play home games at Shirecliffe. That all means, I've seen more of the U18 Academy players than I might otherwise have done.

The U19 Futures Blades won their league. Played 12, won 8, drawn 3, lost just one. That single defeat was to second in the league Sheffield Club. On countback, I went to five Academy U18 League games and two in the FA Youth Cup. Plus six Futures U19 games. Along the way, I harvested three new grounds. Charlton & Burnley Academy grounds & Bishop Auckland (for Middlesbrough away in the Youth Cup).

I can use this Blog to emphasise just how young our regular Under 23 side are. Nine of those who started or subbed at U18 on Saturday v Wednesday also started or subbed for the U23s away at Millwall in the final U23 game of the season. Marcus Dewhurst, Nickseon Gomis, Harrison Neal, Kyron Gordon, Zak Brunt, Jake Young, Harry Boyes, Tom Williams & Reon Potts. Pulling a few stats out. Zak Brunt has featured 23 times at U18 & 11 times at U23. Kyron Gordon 12 times at U18 & 21 times at U23. Tom Williams 27 times at U18 & 9 times at U23.

With his penalty v The Owls, Sam Ackroyd has finished as our top U18 goalscorer. Eight goals, all in the league. Dan Griffiths, Cardiff City tops the overall U18 PDL goalscoring charts with 17. In the North Group, Charles Hagan (Sheffield Wednesday), Will Swan (Nottingham Forest) and Michael Fowler (Burnley) all have 14 goals.

I've already cast judgement on Dewhurst, Gordon & Neal in my Under 23 Wrap Up Blog. Obvs, Sam Ackroyd deserves a mention here. Something of an old fashioned centre forward. He's got an all round game. Runs the channels. Good in the air. Can run into balls at pace.

Zak Brunt has also clearly got the stats this season. He's very versatile, although I'd have him essentially as an attacking midfielder. At this level, players tend to drift in & out of games. No criticism there, it's development football. Me, I'd like Zak to stamp on games more & make things happen. Personally, I felt we got an overall impression of where we are with that three nil battering away at Cat 1 Academy Derby County in the Youth Cup. Of course, I can't mention that game without explaining the Carrier Bag Firm were ON FIRE. We ticked off a superb three brewery session that day.

Boot Beer, Repton
Falstaff Brewery, Derby
Brunswick Brewing Co, Derby

My favourite U18 game of the season had to be that 1-0 away win in the previous round of the FA Youth Cup. Away at Cat 1 Middlesbrough. It even had a comedy finish. United were one up from 40 minutes. But, they conceded a penalty on 88. The Boro lad has hit the bar with his penalty kick. But it's bounced out. It looked clearly like a Boro lad was going to head that rebound in. Whaaaaat. He's hit the bar with his header. Shiiiiiiit. A Boro lad is going to knock that second off the bar rebound in. Hang. On. The Ref has stopped it all. The Carrier Bag Firm had an autopsy. All that was basically the same Boro lad. No one else has touched it since his penalty. He's had the “illegal” second touch. Hurray. No Extra Time. I mean Hurray, we won it.

Praise. Praise. Praise The Rutland Arms. If I’ve understood the story correctly, they’ve sacked off Magic Rock following the sale to Big Evil Beer Lion/Kirin. Rather than the no doubt soon be using inferior ingredients High Wire as a “permanent”. They’re saying they’ll have a Kernel Brewery Pale as one of their “permanents”.  What a time to be alive. And, to move things forward & seal the deal. They’ve only gone and got a full pallet of Kernel’s & Tap Takeovered. Jeez. Louise. To thank them, I have done….

The Kernel Brewery, India Pale Ale, Moutere & HBC 431 at 6.8%
The Kernel Brewery, India Pale Ale, El Dorado & Citra at 7.2%
The Kernel Brewery, India Pale Ale, Nelson Sauvin & Sticklebract at 6.9%
The Kernel Brewery, Pale Ale, Crystal, Cascade & Simcoe at 5.3%

Audit that Pal. Four beers. Nine Hops. One without a fucking name yet. I’m living the dream.  The best of the lot. And right up there with best beers ever had was that Moutere/HBC 431 IPA. It smelt fresh & zesty. The Hops were very, very much forward. Developing a deep bitterness. With a little bit of peach or similar in the finish. Superb.

Stats
I have now Blogged from 797 games in 1,707 days