Coach praises players’ character
Professional Development Coach Tony Carss praised the character of his players to come from behind and knock Luton Town out of the FA Youth Cup.
The visitors went ahead in the second half of extra time, but Town were level inside a minute before going on to win the game 3-1.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Carss. “We wanted to move the ball quickly and we did in bits and pieces, but not as much as we would have liked. Part of that was down to the way that Luton pressed us, but we want to be better and improve.
“When we did have good bits of play we created chances and on another day we would have put a couple of those away. Goals give you momentum and we proved that, but we need to improve in the final third.”
Regan Booty, Jake Charles and Jack Boyle all netted in a ten minute blitz to see Town progress to the fourth round.
“The reaction of the players was great; we came alive when Luton scored,” said Tony. “One or two started making things happen and we are delighted to have scored three goals, including two from our Under-16 midfielders.
“It was important that we reacted quickly and Philip (Billing) has changed gear to win us a penalty and Regan Booty showed bravery to grab the ball and put it away. It gave the team confidence and a renewed belief and we were able to build on that.”
On the fourth round draw, he said: “It would be fantastic for the young lads to play against one of the top Premier League sides, or to play at home and allow them to experience playing in our fantastic stadium again.”
