Huddersfield Town U17s coach George Danaher discusses group progression
- Huddersfield Town U17s 1-3 Harrogate Town
- Academy Coach George Danaher shares thoughts
- U17s now preparing to face Mansfield Town
Huddersfield Town U17s were defeated by Harrogate despite doing their best to mount a fightback in the final 15 minutes.
The visitors raced into a 2-0 lead before the interval and then added a third from the penalty spot shortly after the restart.
Jack Smith, who had been introduced from the bench, gave Town hope on 75 minutes, heading in from close range as the Harrogate defence failed to deal with a dangerous ball into the box.
Hopes of a comeback almost became reality as substitute forward Conor Falls rattled an effort against the crossbar just a minute later.
The Young Terriers continued to threaten in the closing stages, but none of their efforts managed to get the better of Way who played well in the Harrogate goal.
Coach George Danaher shared his post-match thoughts, stating that he was pleased with both the performance, and how the squad is developing.
“Today was a good opportunity to practice what we had been working on for the past six weeks. I thought the players’ attitude and application was good and there was the opportunity for them to show what they had been working on and they did that pretty well.
“I thought everyone performed to a good level. I thought Cian Philpot was excellent in terms of his duels and his out of possession work, which is something that we have really been trying to go after for him so he should be pleased with his performance.
“We tried to do some planned substitutions for the older players to try and replicate what it would be like to come on for the First Team, because if they were to make their debut then they would more than likely come off the bench.
“We tried to tell them that when they came on, they had to try and change the tempo of the game and get the ball in and around the box.
“It is crucial to learn from defeat. I think the boys know what the programme is about here. For the younger players, it’s about learning how we play and learning how to deal with different situations. As they progress through the Academy and into the B Team, it then becomes about how to win games.”
Playing again in quick succession, the U17s will travel to face Mansfield Town on Wednesday 5 May.
