Despite the defeat, the boss praised his side's endeavor, singling out the Kelly-Evans twins for praise...
Coventry City Under 21’s manager Darren Murray was full of praise for his young Under-21 side despite the 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium.
The Sky Blues fell to a wonderful effort from Adam Hammill, but with a young side which featured seven players under 18 who also played on Saturday, Murray was pleased with his team’s performance despite the gulf of experience between the two teams.
“The reality is we’ve travelled to Huddersfield with 12 players,” Murray said.
“That is the situation that the club is facing at the moment. We had a very young side today, with some players playing on Saturday too, but we’re not going to complain – the attitude of all of our players was exceptional.
“Of course there are ways of winning games, but there are also ways of losing games. Their attitude is second to none, they’re demanding of each other, eager to improve and it’s an excellent group.
“If you look at the two teams today on paper it shouldn’t really had been a contest, they had plenty of experienced Championship players. At times we passed the ball really well and yes, they did have most of the possession, but we setup in a way to conserve our energy because – with the lads played on Saturday – if we played our high pressing game we’d have lost the game by half-time.”
The defeat leaves the Under-21’s winless in their last two games, but while Huddersfield had a lot of the ball, Murray believed the side deserved a point for their intense efforts.
The manager also singled out twins Devon and Dion Kelly-Evans for praise, saying that the pair embody everything that the Sky Blues are building towards.
“We played 1-4-4-1 formation, but without working on it in training I’m absolutely delighted with how everyone adapted and the attitude everyone has shown to working for this football club.
“With the goal, I think Jacob should have showed him outside as the lad likes to cut in – it was a great strike but its those important small details that win you games.
“Dion as the sweeper and his brother Devon at left-back were both sensational, they worked hard as did everyone.
“The twins really embody everything about this football club and the standards we have. I’ve been so impressed by them. Everyone worked so hard, they probably deserved a point for their attitude and endeavour, probably not on the balance of the game, but while we’re disappointed with a defeat, I’m so impressed with the squad today.”