Richard Stevens on the disappointing night for the Under-18s side in the FA Youth Cup...
Academy manager Richard Stevens believes a lack of killer instinct cost the Under-18s side as they crashed out of the FA Youth Cup.
In a contest full of action, the young Sky Blues conceded late in extra time to 10-man Dunkirk, ending their hopes of repeating last season’s successful campaign.
Despite creating multiple chances, particularly during the extra-time period, City couldn’t take advantage of their dominance. Stevens said: “As good as the Youth Cup was for us last year, that tonight is the absolute opposite really.
“First of all congratulations to Dunkirk, they’ve worked hard and stuck at it. We’ve missed too many chances and they earned their victory through sheer determination.
“We always knew it was going to be difficult, they’ve got the crowd behind them and it’s one of the biggest games most of them will be involved with, but we have to handle the game better than we did.”
Having took the lead with a Chris Camwell penalty in the first period of extra-time; City conceded within minutes to hand the momentum back to the home side.
Stevens admitted the Under-18s let their emotions control them towards the end. He said: “It was a tough game and the lads let their emotions get to them tonight.
“We were a little bit rash and make decisions we wouldn’t normally make. The timing of the goals didn’t help because as it looked to be getting away from Dunkirk they then got a huge boost,”
He added: “In extra time we’ve probably had seven really good chances and failed to score, so as good as it was last season, this year it’s a disappointment.”