GRAEME Murty says a lack of killer instinct in the attacking third from his Under-18s cost them in their 2-0 loss to Reading.

City were looking to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotpsur the week before, with coach Murty returning to the club where he spent 11 years as a player.

Despite having a more consistent hold on the ball, especially in first half at Hogwood, the Canaries youngsters slipped to their sixth defeat of the campaign.

“With the ball in the first half in particular we were the better team," Murty told canaries.co.uk.

"We dominated possession and moved the ball around well and got into numerous goalscoring areas without finding that clinical pass. Our play in the first half deserved a goal.

“They were two really poor goals from our part. The disappointing thing for me is that it was things we had talked about before the game and at half-time.

“Point A was to stop them from set-pieces because they’re big and strong, and Point B was that we had to be narrower to ensure the ball didn’t go between our players and between our lines.

"On the sideline as a coach, you can see them coming and you try and help the kids, but this has been a common theme throughout the season."

With a number of scholars featuring regularly with City's Under-21s side, Murty's squad has an evolving make-up - but with regards to individual progress, he says that can only be a positive.

“It’s a very young group, but we’re going to be young. That’s fine, we’re looking at development and we’re looking at putting them into situations that expose their learning," he added.

“It’s good for them as long as we consolidate their learning with a review this week. We can’t keep on seeing the same things happen over and over again.

“The good thing for me is that the players are now experiencing what it’s like to do ok, but not have that consistency. When their level drops, they’re being punished and that’s a really valuable lesson for them."

Norwich City XI: Oxborough; Sambu, Boateng (Syme 75), Crowe, Wallis, Ellesley, Limb (Walters 75), Aransibia, Couzens, Kamal, Lewis. Subs not used: Hale-Brown (GK).

REPORT: READING 2-0 U18s

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