Agon Mehmeti scored four times as Oxford United’s Development Side beat Kidderminster Harriers Under 23s 9-0 at Court Place Farm this afternoon.
Mehmeti, easing back to fitness after injury, was joined on the scoresheet by Dejon Noel-Williams, Dwight Tiendalli, Josh Ashby, Malachi Napa and Ivo Pekalski as the U’s cruised to a convincing win over the young Harriers.
Mehemti’s first came after just six minutes with a cool finish after he robbed a defender, and it was 2-0 after 14 when striker Noel-Williams, offered his first pro deal last week, was fouled and picked himself up to convert the penalty.
The best goal of the game belonged to Dutch international Tiendalli who latched onto a Mehmeti cross after 17 minutes and showed fantastic footwork to trick his way past the Harriers defence and lash the ball into the roof of the net to make it 3-0 before roles were reversed on 24 and Mehmeti slotted home from Tiendalli’s cross to make it 4-0.
On 27 it was 5-0 when the excellent Josh Ruffels got a shot on target from the edge of the box and Mehmeti ghosted in to get the faintest of touches to complete his hat trick.
Ashby, who showed a superb range of passing all game, then joined the fun with a superb strike from the edge of the box to make it 6-0 at the break and two minutes into the second half it was 7-0 after Napa was fouled and scored from the resulting penalty- both young penalty takers being given responsibility by the smiling Mehmeti!
The Albanian international got his fourth with a good finish from an Albie Hopkins cross on the hour and the ninth and final goal came from Pekalski with a well-struck effort from the edge of the box, again giving the overworked Harriers keeper no chance.
In between all those goals Ashby had hit the bar, Owen James had missed by inches on at least three occasions and United had run riot; certainly the first time an Albanian, Swedish and Dutch international have all been on the same scoresheet for the U’s.
Speaking of which, with Gino van Kessel, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and Canice Carroll away on international duty this weekend Mehmeti did his chances of a place in the squad at Portsmouth no harm at all. Pekalski has now played three times and not given the ball away once and got 80 minutes as he returns from a long term injury, while there were outstanding performances from Aaron Martin, Tiendalli and a host of the promising youngsters coming through the system at the U’s.
United
Clayton, Tiendalli, Martin, Heap (McDonnell 80), Hopkins (Berry-Hargreaves 75). Ruffels (Cowan 76), Pekalski (McCreadie 80), Ashby, Napa, Mehmeti, Noel-Williams (James 46)
Report by Chris Williams, pictures by Martin Brodetsky and Dave Pritchard