Sellars Reflects On Defeat

Scott Sellars revealed his disappointment following Wolves Under 23’s 6-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa at Walsall’s Banks’ Stadium in Premier League 2.

Villa took a two-goal lead in the game as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Corey Blackett-Taylor put the hosts ahead. 

 

Wolves had chances to pull a goal before and they did on the half hour mark as Jose Xavier headed Jordan Grahams’s corner into the bottom corner.

 

The game swung back the way of the hosts as in added time at the end of the first half, Corey Blackett-Taylor scored his second of the game to restore Villa’s two-goal advantage.

 

The hosts added three more goals in the second half without reply from Wolves to inflict the heaviest defeat of the season on the away side, their first Premier League 2 defeat since October.

 

Reflecting on the defeat, Sellars praised the hosts but also felt that his side weren’t good enough on the night.

 

“We’re obviously very disappointed in the final scoreline,” said Sellars, “if I look at the game over two halves, although we were 3-1 down at half time, I thought we had the better chances - in possession we were ok but without the ball, I thought we were very poor. 

 

“Individually and collectively, I don’t think we worked hard enough to make it difficult for Villa and Villa defended well and did the things that we didn’t do very well, well. 

 

“They also had some quality on the counter attack and quality in their finishing. 

 

“We didn’t have enough quality in our defending, enough quality in our desire in wanting to work together without the ball and especially in situations where I thought we had some really good chances - we weren’t clinical enough. 

 

“I always thought there would be goals in the game - we had lots of chances, they had chances. 

 

“It was a naive, young game at times, there was a lack of any control with both teams trying to go hell for leather to try and score every time. 

 

“At 2-1, I thought ‘yeah let’s go’ and we were back in the game. 

 

“The third goal killed us and made it difficult, I then tried to change it and try and get back into the game - I didn’t want to stick at 3-1 and I wanted Niall (Ennis) and Benny (Ashley-Seal), who have been training really well, to get some minutes. 

 

“From that point of view, we changed it and went with two strikers and that can leave you open. 

 

“Sometimes it can work and you can work back to change the game but from this point of view, we didn’t defend particularly well and I thought we lost a lot of discipline and from that point we suffered badly in the end.

 

“I thought one or two of the lads gave up and stopped doing the things that we asked them to do. 

 

“We talk a lot about being organised and hard working - if you get those two things together, I think you get a team performance. 

 

“I didn’t see a team performance, sometimes that can be difficult with changes of personnel with people that don’t train with you every day but it’s no excuse. 

 

“We should all pull together, we’re all doing the same thing playing for Wolves. 

 

“I thought on the night, 6-1 probably wasn’t a fair scoreline, but I don’t think we deserved to win the game.”

 

Wolves have a quick turnaround of games as they face Bury on Friday (1pm) and then Bournemouth on Monday (7pm) both in the Premier League Cup.

 

Sellars admits he may look to changing the side for Friday’s game and called o his players to bounce back from Monday’s defeat.

 

He said, “We’ve got a lot of games, a game Friday and a game on Monday.”

 

“We’ve obviously got a big squad so I may look at changing that. 

 

“We’re doing quite well in the cup - I think we probably need another point to qualify and we’ve got two games to go. 

 

“We’ll have a chat and see what we think in terms of players but some of the lads who haven’t been playing have been doing well in the games we’ve had rearranged so we’ll have a good look and a good think and see how people recover. 

 

“Obviously one or two may be shellshocked but the great thing about football is that we don’t have to wait long to put it right. 

 

“Whether it’s Friday or Monday, the players have got an opportunity to put it right.”