Under-18s head coach Richard Walker hailed his side’s performance as “almost impeccable” after an emphatic 3–0 victory over Stoke City in the U18 Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Wolves returned to Compton in scintillating fashion, with first-half finishes from Fabian Reynolds and Fabian Salmon topped off by a strike from Conor McLeod taking them third in the league table after eight games played. Walker was struggling to find any negatives in the display, which he also felt demonstrated the improvement in one key area the team have diligently been working on.
On the performance
“I thought it was largely faultless, a really good display. Almost impeccable in most aspects of the game. Probably the only (flaw) was that it only ended 3–0. It wouldn’t have been too much of a compliment to us had it been 6–0 or 7–0. We were that dominant.
“We knew going into the game we’d have to earn the right to play and during the first 10 minutes, we did that. We matched and won the second balls and did the ugly side of the game well. But within that spell, we were always looking for opportunities just to secure the ball, hold things down and get us passing.
“Once we got a hold of the ball, dominated and got into some good areas. We scored in less than 15 minutes, which gave us a good start to the game and some patience for the build-up. Overall, I was really pleased with every aspect of the game.
“First and foremost, the work ethic was outstanding from every single player; without the ball whether it was the intensity of the press, running behind or making a recovery. This has to be the foundation, so it was a really pleasing display.”
On getting better on the ball
“During the early stage of the season, we were already getting results, but I felt like we needed to have longer spells of possession. So, for the last four weeks or so we have done a lot of work with the ball. The focus has been on the possession side of things and looking to get into our two tens.
“We’ve made progress in that, and today it was the best it has been. Last week (in the defeat against Sunderland) we probably just fell short in the second balls and the ugly side of the game as I mentioned before. And that too is important and mandatory for me.”
On the objective for himself and the team
“Ultimately, we’re here to produce players. Where we finish in the table will be the outcome after producing players for the first-team and elevating players to our under-21s. That’s the primary focus for me.
“However, I think it’s important that the players want to be as successful as they can be both individually and collectively. I hope the players have the mentality that suggests that we should be in the top two or top three, but the bigger picture for me is making sure we produce players and get them to the highest level possible.”
On facing Man City next week
“We haven’t changed how we go about our business against anyone really, and that won’t be the case next week either. I think facing Man City will be a good yardstick for us. We’ve beaten Man United - who are top of the league - both here in the Premier League Cup and in the under-17s Premier League Cup. We don’t need to fear anyone.
“I’ve set a challenge for the lads in there now and I think they’re starting to believe how good they can be. We’ve seen a real evolution in the side. Not only are we being defensively solid, but we are now looking like a really composed outfit with the ball. So, I want to see both sides of that next week completed with the mentality that we’re able to take on anyone and back ourselves to get a result.”
