DARREN Huckerby credited the resilience of his Norwich City Under-16s side after they secured the Hospital Cup with a 2-1 win over their Ipswich Town counterparts at Carrow Road on Tuesday night.

Two first half goals proved enough to retain the trophy, with a determined defensive display and some fine saves from goalkeeper Fergal Hale-Brown keeping Town at bay during the second period.

Reflecting on his team's success after the game, Huckerby told canaries.co.uk: "It’s a good win, even though if I'm brutally honest we didn't play particularly well.

"We've played better in other games this season but Ipswich were a difficult team to play against. They play a lot of long balls which can be tricky, and we did well to deal with that and come out on top.

"The players deserve credit for that because of the way they dug in. Some of the boys had exams on the day of the game so it's been a stressful week which we've managed to get through well.

"You could tell it's been a long season and the players can now enjoy their break before concentrating on coming back next year."

Huckerby also pointed to the positive aspects of the hosts' display, with many players making their Carrow Road bow in a match which helped raised funds for East Anglia's Children's Hospices. 

"We've got some really good players and when we moved the ball quickly, we looked dangerous," he added.

"Playing at the stadium was a new experience with a different atmosphere, so it was good for the team. Obviously there's a long way to go yet, but it's a good start to their Norwich careers.

"A few lads have signed professional and played in the youth teams this year, which shows it's been a progressive season. Hopefully we'll be seeing some of these players in the first team in the future.

"It’s a massive achievement to get into that set-up so hopefully they can push on and do just that."