When Liverpool Under-18s beat Stoke City 3-2 at the Academy back in late-October, the victory saw Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side move level on points with Sunderland at the top of the U18 Premier League North table.
It would be the young Reds’ first outing of the season without Lewis Koumas and their second without Ben Doak after the in-form pair stepped up into Barry Lewtas’ Under-21s squad. With the duo not featuring for the Under-18s since, for very different reasons, it also remains their last league victory to date.
That winless run was extended to eight games on Saturday as Liverpool fought out a 3-3 draw with Derby County. Having trailed 2-0 early on and 3-1 at half-time, a stoppage-time penalty earned them a share of the spoils to ensure it was a positive result after a positive performance at least, but the side have still lost six of their last eight league games, while also exiting the FA Youth Cup and U18 Premier League Cup.
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Now down in seventh in the table, they trail Sunderland by 12 points. Yet the Black Cats have dropped to second, with Manchester City leading the way at the top and boasting more than twice as many points as Liverpool.
And while the young Reds will be proud of their performance against Derby and how they fought back to earn a point, there’s still no getting away from the fact their winless run continues.
“Potentially (it’s harder for them), yeah,” Bridge-Wilkinson would admit when speaking exclusively to the ECHO after the final whistle. “But we don’t change day to day.
“If we win, lose, or draw, we come in and try to work harder on our game, try and help the individuals improve, and try and help the team improve.Whether we win, lose, or draw, that’s the same.
“I’d imagine it’s tough for them. It’s never nice to continue to lose games, or to not win. But we’ve got a belief in the group and a belief within the staff.
“We know what we’re capable of. We’re showing people what we’re capable of, we just need to put it together and make it stick on a specific day.”
Of course, it’s always more about player development than results in youth football, with it meaning far more with how many Liverpool academy graduates have featured for the first team this season, and with how many youngsters have stepped up for young Under-21s and Under-18s sides, than where they finish in those respective league tables. Along with Stefan Bajcetic and Bobby Clark, Doak is this year’s shining example.
Having scored two goals and registered two assists in five U18 Premier League matches, the former Celtic man would go on to replicate such form for the Under-21s and even earn first team recognition under Jurgen Klopp in the process. Now boasting five senior appearances for the Reds, the forward won’t be returning to Under-18s football anytime soon.
But while Koumas would make two substitute appearances for the Under-21s, against Everton and West Ham United, after following in the winger’s footsteps, a foot injury suffered at the start of November would sideline him for the foreseeable.
Son of former Wales international Jason, Koumas junior only made his Under-18s debut last season. Boasting six substitute appearances, he'd score his first goal at that level in a 5-0 win over Newcastle United on the last day of the campaign. But back then he was playing in midfield.
Come the start of the 2022/23 season, with a lack of alternative striking options, he was transformed into a forward instead. Four goals in a 6-2 victory over Middlesbrough on the opening day and the positional change was here to stay. The fact he remains the Under-18s’ joint-leading goalscorer with seven goals in league and Youth Cup, alongside Trent Kone-Doherty, despite having not played for them since October, showcases some of the issues they have faced in his absence.
Of course, it’s plausible that if not for injury then Koumas would have done enough for the Under-21s to stay at that level alongside Doak. Instead, a return to Under-18s football is looming after the forward recently returned to training.
“He started training with us this week,” Bridge-Wilkinson confirmed. “We’re hoping that in a couple of weeks we’ll be able to play him again.”
While a lack of number nines saw Koumas transformed into a forward with great success, it’s been a different story in his absence with winger Ranel Young starting upfront against Derby and in the Under-18s’ last league outing as they lost 4-2 away at Middlesbrough. In truth, he was isolated against the Rams before a more natural attacking option was brought on alongside him.
Jayden Danns has been the go-to option for the majority in the absence of Koumas, with the striker scoring his first Under-18s goal in that last league victory against Stoke back in October. He would start the next three league games without adding to his account, before netting in the FA Youth Cup win over Bournemouth.
He would miss the next three league matches, however, but continues to make a telling impact off the bench since his return as the 17-year-old continues to find his feet at this level.
Introduced at half-time against Middlesbrough last month, he scored a late consolation from the penalty spot. Meanwhile, he was lively in the FA Youth Cup after being brought on against Ipswich Town as the young Reds fell to a 2-0 defeat.
But against Derby was his biggest contribution yet, scoring Liverpool’s second with a poacher’s effort moments after coming on on the hour-mark before having the nerve to equalise with a stoppage-time penalty. Now boasting five goals in league and Youth Cup this season, Danns, son of former Premier League midfielder Neil Danns, is the young Reds’ second-leading goalscorer behind Koumas and Kone-Doherty.
“It’s really good. It’s nice, isn’t it?” Bridge-Wilkinson said of the striker’s impact. “It’s what you want, you want boys who go onto the pitch, whichever time it is in the game, to have an impact in a positive way and Jayden did that.
“When players move up or players get injured and they’re not playing for whatever reason it is, it’s an opportunity for others. The job as a development coach is to give these boys the best opportunity we can give them to develop their game and improve. Whichever players we’ve got available, we’ll work with them and they’ll play.”
Against Derby, Danns again took his opportunity. With Koumas’ return imminent, it was a timely contribution. And with Liverpool Under-18s hungry return to winning ways in the U18 Premier League in the weeks ahead, it is two forwards following in famous footsteps, donning familiar names on their backs, who will be looking to make the decisive impact.
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