Matt Gill hailed his U23 side’s bravery and courage as they fought back from three goals down to draw 3-3 away to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League Cup.
Gill admitted his side were naïve in the first half after conceding three in the first 36 minutes but said he was immensely proud of his players after they completed a remarkable comeback in stoppage time.
“We were slightly naïve in the first half, especially for the first 25 minutes,” said Gill. “We needed to become a little bit more streetwise.
“We’ve come off the back of two really good performances footballing-wise against Southampton and Fulham and the lads need to recognise that games are different. You’re not always going to be having loads of possession and playing nice football on a nice pitch.
“Tonight was a good learning experience for the boys. You have to play with what the game is giving you.
“Everything I asked of them at half-time, they did. We were first to the ball and got on a lot of second balls, played some really good stuff again and, all-in-all, to come back from 3-0 shows real bravery and courage. I’m really proud of the group and they should be really proud of themselves.”
Fighting back from deficits is becoming a regular theme for the U23s so far this season. The draw with Wolves marked the fifth time this campaign the youngsters have come back to salvage something from a match.
“They’re a great bunch of lads,” he added. “They’re still finding their way in the game. They’re trying to learn what they need to do to get the best out of themselves individually and I’m trying to harness that.
“Tonight was a different type of game and the boys will learn loads from it.”