The City Under-18s coach believes his young players had to trust their ability on a difficult pitch after the 1-0 defeat at Halesowen Town...
Coventry City Under-18s coach Jason Farndon believes the 1-0 loss to Halesowen Town in the Birmingham Senior Cup will prove to be a 'valuable experience'.
The Sky Blues fielded eight Under-18s players at the Grove as Ben Haseley's second-half goal won the game for the Yeltz.
Despite the youth in the side, Farndon was still disappointed with City's passing game on a difficult pitch at the Grove.
Farndon said: "It was a really young team and they never gave up which is important to see. It is what we expect from Coventry City but we didn't pass the ball anywhere near to the standards we expect.
"The factors contributed to the performance but we've got to be better than that. We always encourage our players to take the ball under pressure and in tight spaces.
"We had to trust our ability a bit more and trust each other on the ball. In the end, we couldn't compete with their long ball on a difficult pitch."
City Under-21s play Crystal Palace at the Ricoh Arena today (kick-off 2pm) with supporters able to gain free entry for the game.
Having been disappointed with City's passing game, Farndon believes the 'real football' experience at Halesowen Town will benefit the young players in the future.
He added: "We had to change a few things around because of the Under-21s game against Crystal Palace. At the end of the day, we've got 16-year old's in a men's competition which is great.
"It is a valuable experience at a different type of football and the sort of football where you've got to stand up and be counted.
"They know real football is. It was competitive, it was fast-paced and it was a style of football we're not used to playing against.
"We're used to playing Academy football where a lot of teams like to pass it but Halesowen were quite direct and so it was a great experience for us, in particular our defenders who were physically tested tonight."