Ghanaian defender, Paul Appiah, scored from a powerful header to help Aston Villa U23 reach the youth FA Cup semifinal with a thumping win over Newcastle United.

The 18-year-old opened the floodgates with a strong header to put Villa in the lead before Brad Young made it two inside the first ten minutes.

Carney Chukwuemeka scored the first of his hat-trick inside the first half to make it three, but Newcastle United pulled one back through Josh Scott right before the interval.

Chukwuemeka completed his hat-trick with two second-half strikes to make it 5-1 and second-half substitute Kahrel Reddin completed the mauling.

Appiah lasted the entire duration of the game with another fine performance to help his side to the semis.

Aston Villa U23 will now face local rivals West Bromwich Albion for a place in the finals of the FA Cup.