James Collins has suggested that Monday’s match-up with International Cup holders PSV will be up there with the toughest of the season.
Wolves under-21s welcome the Dutch side to Molineux on Monday evening and head coach Collins is looking forward to the challenge in front of home support. Admitting it will be a different type of test, Collins has also reflected on his time assisting the first-team with Steve Davis 12 months on and emphasised the importance of his players feeling comfortable at Molineux ahead of potential senior appearances there in the future.
On facing PSV
“It’s as tough as you get. I watched them play Fulham last season in the semi-final and they were probably the best under-21 team I’d ever seen.
“They were as good as anything I’d seen. There will be slight personnel changes from that, but I think they haven’t lost in 10 games in this competition.
“It’s going to be as hard a game in youth football you can get, but that’s the challenge in our home ground in front of our supporters.
“We’re looking forward to it and seeing how our players react to that sort of test.”
On a different type of test
“The mixture of the fixtures is brilliant. To come off the back of a league team like Lincoln on Tuesday and then be going into a game against European opposition from Holland is a totally different approach.
“This will be much more technical and tactical with a lot of fluid movement and a lot to think about from a tactical side.
“They’re great diverse and different games that are good for us and so much for us to learn from.”
On a year since his first-team involvement
“That was a wonderful experience and a whirlwind at the time. It happens quickly because a manager gets sacked and it gets thrown upon you.
“Looking back, there was loads to reflect on. We enjoyed our time doing it and we felt we contributed to the season which was nice and the players reacted brilliantly to us.
“It’s allowed us to have that understanding. With my under-21 players, I now have a true understanding of what it’s like to be out there with the first-team which is good when you’re passing on help to the Nathan Fraser’s.”
On playing at Molineux
“It’s hard to explain what it’s like to play here. We had a spell two years ago where we must’ve had six or seven games on the trot here.
“It started to feel really comfortable and nice. That was the Chem Campbell, Hugo Bueno, Luke Cundle team and they started to really get the flow of playing here.
“Something I said at the end of the season to the staff above me was, can we get as many games as possible at Molineux? A, because it’s great for our development as staff and B, the players are going to have to eventually play here in front of a lot of people.
“The better they’re used to it, the more they’re used to playing here, the more exposure they get to it, I think the better chance they have of, when they do make their debuts, being ready.
“Nathan’s (Fraser) a good sign of that when he went on with the first-team in the cup – he didn’t seem fazed. He’d played a lot of games here and was used to it.”
On playing in front of the supporters
“It’s great for them to see the next generation of players. They then will make their own opinions of who they like and who they think might come through.
“There are some supporters who spoke to me about thinking Nathan might come through and then there are others who didn’t – that’s the enjoyable part of youth development.
“It’s nice for them to come down and it really does add to the occasion for our boys. It’s an important part of their development to play in front of supporters which we don’t tend to get week in week out.
“It’s a good chance for them to pit their wits against foreign opposition in front of our home support, so we’d love to get as many down as we can.”
