Jayden Danns continued his impressive goalscoring form by helping Liverpool enjoy a winning start to their Under-18 Premier League North season.
Danns, the 17-year-old son of current Tranmere Rovers assistant boss Neil Danns, netted twice as the young Reds beat Nottingham Forest 4-2 at the Academy in Kirkby on Saturday afternoon
Lewis Koumas and Trent Kone-Doherty also scored for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s team against a Forest side who were reduced to 10 men for the closing stages.
The Reds, replicating the first team by employing an inverted right-back role in which skipper Josh Davidson impressed, made a strong start and were two goals ahead inside half-an-hour.
Danns – who scored five goals in the final five league games of last season and netted a winner against Manchester United in a friendly in Northern Ireland last month – scored the opener after only 12 minutes, producing a fine finish from a Koumas cross from the left after a strong initial run from Davidson. And, for the second, strong pressing from Kone-Doherty allowed him to win the ball back on the right and thrust into the area before crossing for Koumas to convert.
Forest, though, pulled a goal back from the spot when Wellity Lucky was adjudged to have fouled Connor Brown, who picked himself up to score. The visitors then drew level shortly before the hour when Jimmy Sinclair evaded two defenders and shot home a diagonal drive.