Charlton Athletic U18s winger Tolu Ladapo spoke to Valley Gold for Academy Notes after the recent 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
The attacking player signed for Charlton aged 14 believes he has learnt so much during his time at the Charlton Athletic Academy and has recently switched from striker to winger adding versatility to his game. Speaking after the game, he told Valley Gold:
“The team started very well gaining control of the game in the early stages. We exploited the wide areas, especially the right-hand side which we seemed to be getting a lot of joy from. We were rewarded with our fast start by taking the lead through Daniel Kanu. Mack Reilly set up Kanu with a controlled header from my lofted cross.
“We continued to probe and get down the sides of Accrington creating openings and half chances, however, Accrington did begin to look like a threat going the other way – especially from crosses. A header was put just wide by Accrington’s frontman before he opened the scoring shortly after. We should have stopped the cross and competed better in the air once it was delivered into the box.
“The team responded well by dealing with the next few set pieces that Accrington threw at us by defending them well and competing better with the aerial duels. A great move from Jason Adigun who drove through Accrington’s midfield on the left-hand side before slipping Kanu in who cut it back to him should’ve seen the young Addicks 2-1 up however Adigun couldn’t find the finish.
“Not long after he managed to put us 2-1 up with a header you’d expect him to score in the fine form he’s showed this season. It was a measured cross from Nathan Assimwe that found Adigun in the box which put us 2-1 up before halftime which was deserved.
“In the second half, we didn’t maintain control of the game which allowed Accrington to grow in confidence. They also had the home advantage of their fans spurring them on which may have given them a boost. Chances were few and far between for both sides however, Accrington thought they had equalised as the ball was in the back of the net but the linesman said the ball had previously gone out of play.
“They overloaded the back-post on another set-piece which caused us a major problem but we got away with that one. Tyreece Campbell entered the frame and smacked the post after twisting the defender in the box before cracking a shot at the near post.
“The game ended 2-1 to Charlton and we are deservedly through to the next round. The scoreline could’ve been a bit wider however getting into the next round was the most important thing for us and we did just that. Our winning run in 2022 continues…”
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