Adam Barton looking to stay sharp by using Under-21's experience...
Coventry City midfielder Adam Barton enjoyed the experience of playing for the Under-21's in the 2-1 win against Birmingham.
The 21-year old, who joined the club in the summer from Preston North End, scored a late goal from Chris Hussey's cross to grab the victory over our local rivals.
With players such as former Fulham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop, former Spain international Pablo Ibanez and former Hamburg winger Romeo Castelen all featuring for Blues, Barton says the game proved a valuable experience.
Barton said: "These sort of games are always really hard for senior players to come down and play in as you might not be used to playing with the other players.
"I knew I had to work hard and make sure I used my time on the pitch to impress. It wasn't the best footballing game but the hard work put in by us definitely paid off.
"For me, I'm not playing first team games at the moment so I am getting a lot out of playing here. Fitness is important and training isn't always enough to keep that fitness up so it is important I can get 90 minutes.
"I enjoy playing football and every game is more experience for me. They all work hard here and we all want to show what we can do.
"Birmingham have a lot of players in their side who have played at a high level so it is good to play against players like this and to see how they respond to the test.
"It is always an experience and it is good to play with some inexperienced players and help them along as well."
City went behind early on as the Birmingham trialist Castelen slotted home past Lee Burge to make sure the Sky Blues had to come from behind to win the game.
Barton was impressed at the second-half performance from the young side and delighted to get on the score-sheet.
He added: "We got much tighter after the break and we were able to bring more players into the game because of it.
"We displayed some good football at times and I went just behind the striker after the break which I feel is a good position for me.
"At the end of the day, I was happy to score, no matter what game you play in. It was a great cross from (Chris) Hussey but it was my goal, so I'm happy."