Under-23s coach David Wright was pleased with what he saw from his side, despite a goalless draw against Fulham on Friday evening.
Both the young Canaries and Fulham had their chances throughout the game, neither able to find the back of the net as the points were shared.
Speaking on the result, Wright felt that the side did well against a tough Fulham team, adding that the young U23s need to find their stride in the final third as his only improvement from the night.
“It was pleasing overall. What we have to continue to improve on is in that final third. I thought in the first half, the times we got into the pocket and got turned and faced their goal, we didn’t quite have the intensity in our runs behind.
“It’s something we need to work on, to then give the person in the pocket options to actually slide through, that or dribble and drive. I think we got better in the second half at that, in terms of the intent of them runs, but what we didn’t was our decision making.
“Then, especially when they’re down to ten men, we suddenly got over excited and we started forcing passes. The simple things with quality will get you in, you’ve just got to trust that.
"I’m not saying we panicked, but we got a bit impatient and tried to force things and we couldn’t quite get that final pass away, which would’ve given us the opportunity to score.”
“They’re good, Fulham. The way they play and the way they build their attacks, it’s actually really difficult to stop. The moment you jump, or maybe not make the right decision, they end up playing through you.
“I thought overall, the boys worked really, really well. They stopped them, the way they wanted to press. It’s really difficult to stop, and you’re never going to stop it 100% of the time. I thought we did it well.
“It was really important for the likes of Andrew [Omobamidele], Jaden [Warner] and Jonathan [Tomkinson] to organise what was in front of them to enable us to counter-press and stop their counter-attack.
“That or, because you’re not going to stop their press all the time, is that it ended up being a slow counter-attack by delaying it. I think overall, I’m pleased with the performance, we’ve just got to keep working and hopefully we’ll become more consistent in that final pass.”
The side were also joined by Academy graduates and now first-team prospects Andrew Omobamidele and Josh Martin for the game. Discussing their return, Wright said that their involvement, as well as Sebastian Soto and Melvin Sitti’s, was great experience for the younger players to play with and learn from.
“They’ve just recently left us, so it’s very easy for them to come back into the dressing room because they know all the lads, so it’s quite comfortable coming back in.
“I thought Andrew was excellent, they fit in the group really well. The likes of Sebastian [Soto] and Melvin [Sitti] as well, they’re still young but had a lot of experience of first-team football. I think it’s really good for the boys when they drop in.
“Sean [Stewart] looking at Andrew, his composure, his athleticism, how he was aggressive, how he reads the game, it’s good for them to not just watch it, but to feel it in the game and be close up.
“Tony [Springett] looking at Josh Martin, they’re similar players, they’re dribblers. To be able to play with them rather than watching from a stand, they’re actually in the game and they can see in the moment. It’s also great for Andrew and Josh for them to get some game time under their belt, it’s good.”
