Cairo Antoine’s goal settled an entertaining contest, while several of Arsenal’s brightest prospects continued their progress towards senior football.
Arsenal Women’s Under-21s defeated London Bees 1-0 in an encouraging pre-season friendly, a match that proved to be a classic game of two halves.
Arsenal controlled the opening period before London Bees enjoyed the better of the second half. The only goal came from England Under-17 international Cairo Antoine, who finished after an excellent diagonal pass from centre-back Millie Marriott.
Watching the game were England Under-19 manager John Solomon, along with first-team youngster Sophie Harwood.
There was no team sheet available for the Arsenal Under-21 side, which is standard for PGA Academy fixtures. The recognisable faces included players who have trained with the first team, such as Bella Cowley and Marriott, as well as England Under-17 international Antoine. Amy Liddiard, who has previously been included in the first-team squad and came close to making her senior debut as a substitute in the Champions League last season, also featured and kept a clean sheet.
There are areas in which the first team could strengthen, but the question remains whether these academy players, some of whom already have first-team training experience, are ready to make the step up.
The answer, at this stage, is clearly no.
Most appear to be two or three years away from being ready to contribute consistently to a side competing for the Women’s Super League title and the Champions League.
The gap between Under-21 football and the senior game remains significant.
Liddiard, who currently sits behind the club’s three senior goalkeepers, is an interesting case. It remains unclear whether the coaching staff would turn to her or Isabella Damm if all three senior goalkeepers were unavailable. Given that Liddiard trains regularly with the first team, it would be interesting to see her given an opportunity in a senior pre-season fixture.
Cowley and Antoine both performed well, while a couple of the central midfielders and wide players also impressed. Some players made poor decisions at times, but that is part of their development, and several understandably tired as the match was played in very hot conditions.
Overall, it was an enjoyable and worthwhile pre-season fixture, played in front of a good crowd. London Bees contributed positively with some attractive football, making it an entertaining contest.
The majority of Arsenal’s squad are still Under-19 players rather than Under-21s, giving them valuable time to develop before they are expected to challenge for places in the first team.
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