Nicky Eaden reflects on his Under-23 side's disappointing result at the Valley...
City’s Under-23 manager Nicky Eaden was left bitterly disappointed with his side’s performance in their heavy defeat to Charlton Athletic.
The Sky Blues were defeated 7-2 in a fairly one-sided affair, but the individual errors and lapses of concentration from his players were a concern for Eaden.
George Thomas and Devon Kelly-Evans were on target for City, but a strong Charlton outfit highlighted some key areas for improvement going forward.
Eaden said: “When you make a mistake as early into the game as we did it was always then going to be an uphill challenge.
“Looking back at their goals I would probably say four or five are avoidable from our point of view and that is just not good enough if we want to compete in games.
“I think our ball retention could have been a lot better because if you give possession away in dangerous areas you can be countered and punished. The honest truth is we looked off the pace today.”
Games such as these are often a steep learning curve for young players, and Eaden is expecting a more experienced approach towards fixtures in the future.
“Experienced players know that if things are not quite clicking in the attacking third you look to remain solid and be patient for that opening. It is something we didn’t do today.
“We looked far to easy to play against and that can sometimes happen. Too many players were off their game, but it’s important they learn from it and grow as players."
He added: “We are hugely disappointed with the outcome, it is not something you can just forget about. At times I was looking on in disbelief at their decision-making but we aim to put things right in our next fixture.”