Watford’s Under-18s put three past Millwall on their way to an emphatic victory at London Colney on Saturday (February 26).

Kyreece Lisbie scored an early opener after Remeiro Moulton’s impressive driving run picked out the 18-year-old, who tapped in at the far post.

The young Hornets would go on to double their advantage through Adrian Blake’s spot-kick just before the break after Moulton was brought down inside the box.

With Millwall reduced to 10 men, Watford remained composed and concluded the match with a third from Kyrell Lisbie to make it three wins in a row for the academy side.

Under-18 Lead Coach Tom Hart was extremely impressed with the performance levels displayed by his side against a tough-tackling Millwall team.

“Since our last game, we had a few weeks' break and we wanted to keep that momentum going after that gap and we certainly did that,” said Hart.

“We warranted the two-goal lead before half time, and we were really switched on and alert to Millwall’s press. We were clever enough to play around it and our first goal really typified that.

“You know you’re always going to be in a competitive game against Millwall. They were quite aggressive – they foul you, they bring you down and they put their foot in.

“It would’ve been easy for our players to take a kick and not want the next pass, but they didn’t show any glimpses of that. We want that enthusiasm and for our players to take the ball under pressure.

“In any game it can be very intense, and it could’ve been easy for us to just kick it long and to not want the ball or practice the patterns that we had worked on, but we didn’t, and we stuck at it.”

After the Lions were reduced to 10 players, Hart was pleased to see that the young Hornets remained focused and kept their desire for even more.
“I reminded the guys at half-time that we were in a similar situation when we played Colchester United at home,” Hart explained.

“We had been really dominant in that game and they got a player sent off just before half-time. In the second half we really let ourselves down and made it a lot more difficult.

“It was nice to have that fresh in their memories, to remind them to keep their standards, move the ball and find the spare player. I challenged them to keep the clean sheet and I must say, they came out in the second half and I thought they found a really nice balance.

“It felt like they had learnt a lot from that experience. We definitely deserved the goal at the end, and we arguably should’ve had more, but to come away with that result was really pleasing.”

Moulton was heavily involved in the attacking phases of play during the match and enjoyed a productive morning alongside his Under-16 teammates Josh Mullins and Ben Casey, with all three making the step up to the Under-18s.

“Moulton is getting better game-by-game,” Hart added. “Alongside Ben Casey and Josh Mullins, these three are getting regular game time with the Under-18s.

“We don’t get to work with them on the training ground because they are with the Under-16 coaches, but they are doing a fantastic job with their development.

“Remeiro is learning on the job and is adding to his game every week. He is starting to have a real impact on games, and he played a big part in the first two goals. He came off the pitch and went over to the Under-16s game and scored the winning goal over there!

“That is even more pleasing because we don’t want Remeiro or any other player to go back to their respective age group and think it is beneath them – we want them to maintain those high standards. I believe that is the second time he has done that now.

“We had three Under-16s playing, lots of players with individual development taking place, there is a confidence to it, and we have spoken to the players about winning or losing – for us it is about the development and the progression. The results have taken care of themselves.”

Amongst the goalscorers were Kyreece and Kyrell Lisbie, two players who have impressed Hart. With consistent performances, the Under-18s Lead Coach is expecting them to take the next step in their individual development.

“Kyreece played on the right and Kyrell played down the middle of the front three and they both got in great positions,” Hart mentioned.

“Kyreece is beating players one-versus-one, Kyrell is getting in behind with his movement and his pace. It is going to be their end product now that we want to see the biggest development in.

“We get into some great positions, and we don’t score as much as we really should - that goes for everyone. It is going to be that final decision, that final execution. The higher that you go, the chances become less and less and it is about refining those aspects and if they get that, they will be in a really good place.”

Following the announcement that Shaq Forde had moved to Kings Langley on a short-term loan, the 17-year-old got a goal and assist on his debut. Hart gave his thoughts on the move and Forde’s development.

“I think it’s a really good move for both parties,” Hart answered. “Kings Langley have got a really talented player and Shaq has got a club that has developed a lot of young players with Chris Cummins, who we have a really great relationship with.

“He is a really good coach and knows his stuff. He has been great with some of our young players like Alfie Marriott, Will Hall and Adian Manning.

“It will be nice for Shaq to play with and against senior players and play in front of a crowd. They are in a relegation battle and every single minute matters.

“We hope that Shaq will get something from his development and help Kings Langley secure their status in their league. We are looking forward to seeing how he develops there.”