Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Blackburn U18 9th with 33 points, Stoke City U18 14th with 17, 16 apart. Stoke City U18 had been over-performing their table position on recent form: 10th in the league over the last five rounds against 14th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Stoke City U18 1.62 scored and 2.65 conceded per game, Blackburn U18 1.96 and 2.62, with the league averaging 2.07.
Stoke City U18 arrived off eight straight defeats, having scored in 7 consecutive games. Recent form was uneven: 0/15 points for Stoke City U18, 7/15 for Blackburn U18.
8 meetings are on record — 2 won by Stoke City U18, 4 by Blackburn U18, 2 drawn, at 4.75 goals per meeting. Home advantage has meant little here: 38% of the meetings went to the host. Three-plus goals is the norm here, arriving in 88% of the meetings, and both sides scored in 75%.
On the scoreboard, it was 0-0 at the break; 1 second-half goal set the final 0-1.
Goal scorers
Blackburn U18: Tristan Achu (56' og)
Key stats
Possession: Stoke City U18 53% · Blackburn U18 47% · Total shots: 9-11 · On target: 1-4 · Corners: 5-9