Peterborough United boss finds positives despite FA Youth Cup loss to local rivals
Peterborough United Under 18s manager Jimmy Unwin insist he was proud of his players despite their first round FA Youth Cup exit at the hands of Northampton Town on Wednesday night.
Posh went down 2-1 in front of 550 fans at the Weston Homes Stadium after conceding two goals in the first quarter of the game against direct, physical opponents. It’s the second time in three seasons Posh have been beaten by Cobblers at this stage of the competition.
"I’m quite proud of the boys,” Unwin insisted. “That might sound a bit weird after we’ve lost, but the controlled the game for large spells because of the style we played and physically we got through it well as none of our lads suffered from cramp. We emptied the tank out there and you can’t ask for a lot more than that other than not going 2-0 down early in the game, but we weren’t good enough on the ball or in the final third. You learn more from a loss though and we will learn from this.
"We looked nervous at the start. They brought tension onto themselves. We had a right back in Noah Freeman who has been with the club since he was eight and it was first game at London Road. We need them to experience it at an earlier age. We need to improve against teams who are a bit more direct and it was disappointing to prep against a long throw and then not deal with it very well.
"Credit to Northampton though and I wish them all the luck in the next round. When you are leading you do what you can to win. They had the mentality to win the game and they put their bodies on the line. We need to be better at that sort of thing, We need to get up to opponents early and block shots.
"The game is not career-defining for the players. It’s just a cup game. Our aim is always to get players into the first team.”
Posh host Professional Development Under 18 League leaders Sheffield United on Saturday.