Under-18s head coach Richard Walker was in good spirits after seeing his side beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Premier League Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Man United arrived to Compton as strong favourites having won every game in the U18 Premier League so far. However, the solid defending and prominent counter-attacking of Wolves led the hosts to a 1-0 victory with Leon Chiwome scoring the only goal of the game. Walker was in full-praise of his team’s display and is hoping to see more of the same in the upcoming games.
On the victory
“First and foremost, I thought the performance was excellent. You know you’re going to have to play well to beat Manchester United, and I thought we played really well. We were really good with and without the ball.
“During the first half, they had spells of possession but weren’t overly hurting us. Within that, I thought we played some really good football. We sustained attacks a lot better than we had been doing. We had a big chance in the first-half, just like they did, so it was fairly equal.
“I thought they started the second half much brighter than us, so our goal came against the run of play. But, particularly with Leon Chiwome’s pace up top, I always thought we had that counter-attacking threat. I was pleased with many aspects of the game.”
On counter-attacking football
“Against top teams, you obviously have to defend the box well, but we defended it well with a counter-attacking threat.
“When they threw more and more bodies forward, we dealt with that really well. But whilst they were having their spells on the ball, we had the better chances from the counter.
“In addition to the goal, I think we had three or four good counter-attacking moments, and probably should’ve converted three of them. I felt like it was more likely to go 2-0 or maybe 3-0 than it was to go 1-1.”
On the defensive display
“Clean sheet is something we’ve tried to add a bit more value to. We’re confident we’ll score goals if we keep clean sheets, so the players are really buying into that. Caden Voice and Hayden Carson have a good spirit at the back, and that inspires everyone around them.
“That group did their defending well, but the two in front of them, Finlay Ashworth and Makenzie Bradbury were also excellent with and without the ball. They did great, on the ugly side of the game as well as showing composure in transitions to get us playing.
“And when they had a shot on goal from distance, it was outstandingly saved by Lewys Benjamin. We know he’s capable of that.”
On ending Man United’s winning run of seven games
“We also beat Man United in the U17s Premier League Cup the other week, so I think they’re sick of seeing the sight of us. They’re top of our league and have won every game. They’re probably the best team out there, so I hope this gives our boys a real level of confidence.
“However, I don’t want the mentality to be like we’d be the little Wolves playing Man United. I want us to go toe-to-toe with these teams. We sit fourth now, but deserve to be in the top three.”
On the PL Cup target
“We want to win every game we play. If the boys perform like that against Reading, who we face next, we will. Hopefully, we can do the job. After that, we will see where it takes us.”
