Norwich City Under-23s coach Alan Neilson said he was pleased with how some of the under-18 players performed stepping up to Premier League 2 level against Nottingham Forest on Friday night.
The Canaries lost the game 3-2, despite leading 2-1 at the break. However, they were without regular players Jonathan Rowe and Liam Gibbs, who have been involved with the first team squad in recent weeks, and Tom Dickson-Peters who has gone out on loan to Gillingham to further his development.
That meant a number of the under-18s squad had to step up a level, including Lewis Shipley, Brad Hills, Joe Duffy, Harry Brooke and Oscar Thorn.
Thorn helped set up Norwich’s equalising goal in the first half, crossing for Abu Kamara to head home and Alan Neilson was pleased with the performances the younger players put in.
“It was a chance for players to come up and get their place in the under-23s,” he said. “Some of the under-18s have stepped up tonight and performed quite well, but it is a step up for them and us as coaches, and as a club, will keep pushing them to get better and better.
“We want the players to follow process and perform on the pitch and if we play well and do the process well then we will get results. It is about developing players for the first team and giving the younger players a chance to play for the under-23s.”
Despite levelling through Kamara’s header and then taking the lead when Tony Springett threaded a pass through to Flynn Clarke to round the keeper and score, Norwich lost the match with two poor goals conceded in the second half.
“I think moments change games,” said Alan, reflecting on the second half performance. “Flynn Clarke was really unlucky. We broke again on the on the halfway mark and took the ball forward and had options.
“It was a good shot that hit the post, then hit the back of the keeper and then went out for a corner. If that went in it would have been 3-1. Then the goals we conceded, we know as a defence and as a team, they were not good enough.
“They were balls down the middle. I think their (Nottingham Forest’s) second goal of the match when they played it through he was offside, but Jaden (Warner) went to control it and got a touch and then that allowed their striker to go through and score. The third goal was another ball straight down the middle.
"We had to change formation because we have had played who have just come back from injury, or players who have just come back from Covid-19. So, we had to make three subs and play three at back and it was just a poor goal second to concede. It is things we have got to learn from.”