Huddersfield Town B Team captain and match winner on the night speaks to htafc.com
- Huddersfield Town B 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
- Loick Ayina scores winner and is named captain on the night
- Town have won three games from three in Premier League Cup
Loick Ayina was in a jubilant mood at full-time of our B Team’s impressive 1-0 home win over West Brom in the Premier League Cup, reflecting on his performance, being given the captain’s armband and scoring the winner on an eventual night at the John Smith’s Stadium!
Looking back on the win, Ayina began by sharing his pride in being named captain and making it three wins from three in the group stages so far.
“I was surprised to be named captain, normally it’s Ben Midgley, but at the last moment we found out he was injured.
“Head Coach Jon Worthington gave me the confidence to be the skipper and I was happy and proud to take the armband tonight and get the win.
“It’s great to get another win, with another clean sheet too.
“It’s good to win and we want to keep going. The next game is Middlesbrough and we go again to try and win that game.”
Having been around the First Team in recent weeks, Loick admitted that those experiences have given him additional belief in his game.
“Honestly, playing with the First Team has given me more confidence.
“I’ve had the chance to be on the bench twice, but I can tell I’m more confident, you could see that tonight. All of the First Team squad are good with me, they push me, and that helps.”
Laughing as he explained his goalscoring turn, pushing out from central defence before winning the ball high and turning two defenders inside the box to create room to beat the goalkeeper, the young Frenchman spoke about how that is all part of his game.
“I like to go forward!
“I enjoy playing forward, and me and Brahima have that type of connection.
“We played that one-two as you saw, and I see the possibility to score after I passed the ball to him. I said okay, I felt the game and I went ahead and scored. I’m very, very happy to score tonight!
“It’s crazy, honestly! When I saw the ball inside the goal, I couldn’t believe it! I just ran and celebrated with the crowd and my teammates. I am feeling very, very, very good.
Looking forward to what lies ahead for the B Team this season, Loick spoke passionately about their self-belief as a group and his desire to progress in the Premier League Cup, going beyond the first knockout stage that they exited the competition from last season.
“We have a really good team, good combinations.
“We can go forward, we can defend and we believe in ourselves and I believe in my team.
“I think we can progress in this competition, I remember last year we should have done more in the knockout stages, but this year we’re more competitive and I think we can do something more this season.”
