Under-23s midfielder Josh Martin is looking forward to the game against Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday (7pm kick-off), saying the squad aren’t considering a loss.
After a thrilling 3-2 win over Newcastle United last month, Martin says the whole team is excited to get going again in their attempt to progress further in the competition.
“I’m really excited, looking forward to the game. I’ve spoken to a lot of the Under-18s, a lot of them are my mates as well. We’re all excited, going into the game confident, hoping to win it.”
Speaking on the third-round fixture against Newcastle, Martin discussed his reflection of the game, saying confidence and hard work is key.
“Football is tough, you go 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, you’ve got to fight through to win the games, you’ve got to be on your game the whole time, no letting off, especially the higher you get. We’ve got to go into the game confident and work hard for each other.”
The last Academy fixture against Man United came at the end of September, when the U23s took an unfortunate 2-0 loss to the Red Devils.
When asked about what he took from that game, Martin said he thought a small lack of completed chances was the only reason the Canaries didn’t win.
“They’re a good ball team, they like to keep the ball and they’re strong on it with a lot of confidence. But I also think we were the better team in that game.
“If we’d have just taken a couple of the chances early, I think we’d have won the game. I think we were a bit unlucky in that game, to be fair. It’ll be a different team that they play, and I think our U18s team is stronger.”
Martin and fellow U23s teammate Jordan Thomas have been training with the first-team recently, speaking on that Martin said it’s the perfect chance for him to make a name for himself in the senior squad.
“Training with the first-team is very, very good. It’s tough to start with, I’m adapting well, getting used to it more and more every day.
“I’m trying to go down there and create a name for myself in the first-team, which is the hardest thing to do, there’s a lot of characters down there. I just go there, work hard and express myself, that’s what I’ve been trying to do and hopefully I’m doing it well.”
“Having a good team bond is the main thing, it’ll make them want to give you the ball more and work for you and I think to have that team bond is very good.
“I know Clive Cook [Head of Player Care] does that a lot with the U18s and U23s, I don’t know exactly what they do with the first-team, but it’ll be good if I can have the same relationship with them.”
Martin is full of confidence for the U18s biggest game of the season yet, saying that a loss isn’t an option in any of their minds.
“We’re confident, and we’re going into that game thinking we’re going to win. United have to bring their A-game. I know the U18s haven’t lost in a while, neither have the U23s.
“With some of us coming down to play, we’re both doing well, so we’re both confident teams, we don’t think we can lose.”
Please note, tickets are FREE of charge and can be booked by phone on 01603 721902 (option one), at the Carrow Road ticket office or the Fan Hub.
Supporters can also gain entry at the Thorpe Area turnstiles on the evening of the match.
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