Senior Professional Development Coach praises hard work in training
- Frankie Bunn reviews another HTAFC U21 win
- SPD Coach praises test that Bolton provided
- Bunn puts run down to hard work at PPG Canalside
Frankie Bunn praised the ability of his Huddersfield Town Under-21 side after it recorded a 10th successive win on Monday afternoon.
The Development Squad defeated visitors Bolton Wanderers 2-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium in a very competitive encounter against the visitors.
“I’m delighted, especially as today’s game was the toughest we’ve had for a while. Make no mistake; Bolton made it difficult for us. They are a good side and tested us today,” Frankie told htafc.com.
“We took a while to settle into the game, but once we did we took the lead. The most pleasing thing was that we bounced back after they equalised, so major credit to the players.”
The young Terriers played lots of good football during the 90 minutes; something Bunn attributed to the hard work that happens on the training pitch at PPG Canalside.
He continued: “That’s not by chance or luck – we work at it. We work hard in training, not only on the physical aspects of the game but on the technical side as well as the tactical.
“We’ve got a system that suits us. Everybody knows their job individually, as units and as a team. They all blend well together.
“I thought the boys managed the game particularly well today, which is important. I had a little smile with (second year scholar) Jamie Spencer in the dressing room, as he made a 50 yard run forward in the final minutes when he just has to sit in midfield. That’s the eagerness you get with young players and you never want to take that away from him.”
Town’s first goal on the afternoon came through the Gegenpressing that Head Coach David Wagner demands and Frank explained that the Under-21s have been embracing that style for several seasons:
“I think our principles are very much the same. Even before David came here, we were high pressing and hardworking; for the last four years, that’s what we’ve done. Our philosophy is the same as David’s, so he’s getting a set of young players that understand how he wants to work.
“You could see today that we press high up the field. We ask our front men to do an awful lot of running and when we get it, we run towards the goal. We are a fit team, but these boys are getting fitter, stronger and developing mentally.
“We work them hard, because they get one chance. It’s important that they are fit as a given, then hopefully the technical side will improve.
“We’re looking for performances and results. Performances are important, but at any level winning games is important. The sooner you get a grasp of winning, you know what it’s all about. The young players enjoy winning and performing; there’s a winning culture with them.”
