Few Liverpool teenagers can have experienced quite as whirlwind a debut campaign at the club as Ben Doak.
So it was perhaps fitting the 17-year-old winger was the matchwinner as the under-21s signed off their Premier League 2 home programme with victory against West Ham United at the weekend.
Doak struck in first-half injury time at Kirkby on Saturday in trademark thrilling fashion, chasing a long ball from Rhys Williams and then embarking on a forceful run beyond several visiting defenders before tucking the ball past Hammers goalkeeper Krisztian Hegyi.
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Certainly, the teenager hasn't wasted any time since arriving from Celtic for a fee of around £600,000 last summer. Doak made an instant impact when starring for the U18s - scoring twice and providing two assists in five games in U18 Premier League North - before being fast-tracked into the U21s, for whom he netted the winner in the mini-derby against Everton on his first start in October.
Doak contributed four goals and as many assists as Liverpool earned top place in their UEFA Youth League group, with his performances leading to a senior bow off the bench in the League Cup at home to Derby County in November, before debuts in both the Premier League and FA Cup in January. He also scored in his one appearance in the EFL Trophy at Accrington Stanley.
His strike against West Ham on Saturday was his fourth goal in Premier League 2 and helped move Barry Lewtas's side up to fourth place with trips to Fulham on Sunday (kick-off 12pm) and Crystal Palace the following Saturday to come to conclude the season.
Meanwhile, Jayden Danns continued his impressive form by notching twice for the U18s in their 2-2 draw at Stoke City on Saturday. Danns' second-half double strike - which took him to five goals in four games - was sandwiched by a brace from Stoke's Adam Watson to put the Reds in fifth place in U18 Premier League North with one game to go at home to Newcastle United on Saturday (kick-off 1pm).
“Not our finest performance, the first half was okay but not great and we were 1-0 down," said U18s coach Marc-Bridge Wilkinson. “Then Jayden Danns scored a couple of goals, some good play involved in both of them. But then we concede a penalty straight after we score the second really, which was quite naive really on our part.
“We created a number of chances in the second half where we could and probably should have won the game, but we didn’t take them. So, not our finest day but lots of positives still to take.”
The U18s will continue to play a series of friendlies after the end of the league campaign, and will also take part in a tournament in the middle of next month.
LIVERPOOL U21s v West Ham: Davies; Stephenson, Williams, Koumetio, Beck; Corness, Norris, Clark; Doak (Hill 90), Woltman (Blair 85), Frauendorf (Stewart 74). Subs: Olufunwa, Hughes. BOOKINGS: Norris, Stewart, Stephenson.
LIVERPOOL U18s v Stoke: Mrozek; Miles, Furnell-Gill, Pitt, Scanlon; Davidson, Onanuga (Kelly 78), Morrison (McConnell 56); Figueroa, Ahmed (Koumas 56), Danns. Subs: Hewitson, Samuels.
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