Mark Delaney spoke of the character the Under-21s showed to come from behind and progress in the Birmingham Senior Cup.
City equalised in the second half through Rylie Siddall, to set-up a penalty shoot-out, which they came out on top of after a 4-2 win.
The Under-21s now move into the semi-finals for the second consecutive year and Delaney was pleased with what he saw at Keys Park against Hednesford Town.
Reflecting on the game…
“Really pleased. We knew it was going to be a tough game. It’s a great experience for the boys, with a really good crowd.
We went 1-0 down and we showed great character in the second half to come from behind and all in all it was a good cup tie.
We’ve won on penalties and there had to be a loser, but we’re pleased and we’re into the next round.”
Starting the game on top…
“We were pleased with our start to the game. We knew they would come out fast at the start of the game, but I thought we controlled the first 35 minutes.
They got on top for the last five minutes with some good territory and long balls, which we didn’t win.
We gave them a leg up and then they get the penalty, and they take the lead with the last kick of the first half.”
Going behind at the break…
“We spoke about it at half-time and told them to stay calm and stay patient and the chances will come.
The important thing was that we got that goal early in the second half and it settled us down and we created some half chances after that.”
Important moments in the game…
“Luke Bell’s saves right at the death have got us into the next round.
The saves were really important. It can be tough at times for the young lads to come into these environments and produce a performance, but I thought they all did today.
We had big moments in the game when we were on top and didn’t score, but overall, we’re really pleased and we’re looking forward to the semi-finals.”
Progressing into the semi-finals…
“It’s a great competition for the boys.
There was just under 600 people in the crowd and there were a few fans behind the goal for where the penalties were being taken and it’s experiences for the boys that they haven’t had before.
We put a lot into this competition and we feel it’s important for the development of the boys and now it’s the semi-finals and we’re looking to progress into the final and go one better than last year.”
