The City Under-21s coach also believes it was 'men against boys' as City ended the game with eight Under-18s players...
Coventry City Under-21s coach Darren Murray praised defender Seb Hines despite the 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Sky Blues, who ended the game with eight Under-18s players, were restricted in selection for the game ahead of Wednesday's game at Bristol City.
Second-half goals from Oliver Burke and Roger Riera Canadell secured the points for Nottingham Forest at Nuneaton Town's Liberty Way.
Murray, whilst unable to fault his side for effort and attitude, believes the young City side struggled to get a foot-hold in the game.
The City Under-21s coach said: "I can't fault the boy's for their effort and attitude today. It was always going to be a difficult game against an experienced Forest side.
"We ended the game with eight players on the pitch who were involved in the FA Youth Cup game on Friday night as we had limited options because of the first-team game on Wednesday.
"In all honesty, it was men against boys. When you've got so many young players, it can be difficult to get a foothold in the game.
"Credit has to go to Nottingham Forest who worked extremely hard for the result. It wasn't a great spectacle but it was always going to be difficult for us."
Despite the difference in the two sides, Murray still believes City could have kept a clean sheet and praised returning defender Seb Hines.
He added: "A lot of the players played 120 minutes on Friday so what more could you ask in terms of effort. We should have dealt with their goals better though.
"There weren't a great deal of chances in the game and the chances they had, we could have defended it better so on another day, we could have got something.
"Seb Hines was excellent, he was a big plus for us. I'm really pleased with him as he showed fantastic attitude before and during the game, and he played really well.
"He was aggressive in the tackle and seemed to enjoy leading the team as the most senior player on the pitch."