Roles At The Double To Help See Off Rangers

Jack Roles bagged a brace while Reo Griffiths and George Marsh also netted as our academy side marched into the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup with a comprehensive 4-1 win at Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night.

We scored twice in each half and were always in full command of the game, played at Loftus Road, booking our place in the next round where we will entertain Norwich City, date and venue to be confirmed.

We put our stamp on the game from the first whistle and it was all Spurs for much of the opening 45 minutes against a side below us in the football pyramid in the Under-18 Professional Development League Two (South). QPR goalkeeper Marcin Brzozowski was a busy man and after somehow taking in Roles’ six-yard strike at point-blank range after the lively Shashoua roamed into the area and set him up on 11 minutes, the stopper was at it again six minutes later to flick Griffiths’ back-post header from TJ Eyoma’s cross over the bar.

The chances were mounting up and it proved only a matter of time before one of them went in. Kazaiah Sterling shrugged off a defender 20 yards out and fed Roles whose shot took a touch off Brzozowski’s body as it went under him and into the bottom corner to hand us a 24th minute lead.

Sterling might have grabbed a second on 36 minutes but couldn’t find the target as he looked to chip the keeper but 60 seconds later it was 2-0 as the striker latched onto Dylan Duncan’s pass and squared for Griffiths to slide home at the far post.

While Rangers had the occasional set piece, they were largely kept at arm’s length until we gifted them a goal on the stroke of half-time. The ball was given away cheaply without a whiff of danger and Kingsley Eshun took full advantage, racing down the left channel and striking past Brandon Austin at his near post.