Tom Wingate scored a hat-trick as Fulham’s under-18s eased into the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup following a comfortable victory at Notts County this afternoon.
The Cottagers, playing in their purple away strip at Meadow Lane, were quickly into their stride and might have taken the lead early on as Farhaan Ali-Wahid had an early effort blocked. The visitors went in front in the seventh minute when a lovely cross from left back Jon Esenga found Wingate, who finished impressively past County goalkeeper Harvey Lawson. Ali Melloul’s side doubled their advantage within seven minutes as French winger Macaulay Zepa sped down the right flank and fired through Lawson’s legs.
James Sanderson came close on two occasions to pulling a goal back for County. His fine free-kick whistled just wide of Dino Kaiser’s goal before he fired over from distance with another audacious attempt. Esenga also tried his luck from a set-piece, with an ambitious effort from an acute angle ending up on the roof of the net. The end of the first half saw a distressing incident as Zac Denman was stretchered off with what looked like a serious injury with the youngster receiving rapturous applause from the 580 fans in the crowd.
Fulham started the second half as if they were in the mood to kill off the contest. Zepa appeared to be Fulham’s most likely source of a third goal – embarking on another mazy dribble down the wing before cutting the ball back for Ali Wahid, who spooned a shot over the bar from twelve yards out. Jayden Quashie also drilled over the crossbar as Fulham continued to press and the Cottagers got their reward seven minutes into the second half.
Wingate seized on a poor pass out from the back by the unfortunate Lawson by rolling his second of the afternoon into an unguarded net. To their credit, County continued to play and were only denied a consolation by the frame of the goal. Kameron Muir’s magnificent effort from long-range cannoned back off the crossbar with Kaiser beaten before the Fulham goalkeeper gathered a speculative strike from Sanderson and Harrison Hazard failed to match a fine individual run with a finish as he fired wide of goal.
Ali Wahid curled an effort wide of the target after a promising run but Wingate completed his hat-trick with an excellent first-time finish past Lawson after connecting with a cross from the left flank. Fulham might have had more goals in the closing stages with substitutes Ruban Khan hitting the post and Tarrell Cavell shooting wide – but this accomplished away display ensured the young Whites were in the hat for round four.
**NOTTS COUNTY UNDER 18s:** Lawson, Hipkiss (Martin 15), Rice, Szczesny (Rowe 74), Nyirenda, Goodwin, Hazard, Muir (Lemard 80), Denman (Smart 45), Sanderson, Emmanuel (Shaw 81). **Subs (not used):** Noon, Bator.
**FULHAM UNDER 18s:** Kaiser; Schuttler, Esenga, Cooke, Slade; Quashie, White, Zepa, Ali Wahid; Wingate, Lubega. **Subs:** Varney, Faux, Picotto, Khan, Cavell, Evans.
**GOALS:** Wingate (7, 52, 74), Zepa (14).
**ATTENDANCE:** 580.