The Sheffield Wednesday Under-18s were beaten 3-2 by a strong Crewe Alexandra side at Middlewood Road on Saturday.
The visitors went in at the break two goals to the good and extended their lead after the interval to put the game beyond doubt.
The Owls did produce a mini-fightback with Brad Tomlinson scoring for the hosts on the hour before youngster Jack Stobbs added a second for Wednesday with eight minutes left on the clock.
Acting academy manager Nev Burbeary said: “At 3-0 down I was pleased with how the lads fought back to make it 3-2.
“There wasn’t too much in the game but we missed early chances and unfortunately that proved costly for us.”