Gilroy pays tribute to youngsters’ reaction to Cup agony
BURTON Albion professional development head coach Keith Gilroy is proud of the way his young charges have reacted to their painful FA Youth Cup exit.
The young Brewers went out of the competition on penalties to Stoke City after a 1-1 draw but bounced back at the weekend with a 2-0 win over Rotherham United.
And that was after most of them had also been involved in the 3-2 win away to Highgate United in the Birmingham Senior Cup last week.
Goals from Dylan Scott and Oakley Hazell were the difference against a physical Millers side, Scott also having scored twice against Highgate.
“I think it was a really important win for the players as they’ve had a good week in regard to experience with a lot of them playing in the Senior Cup against men and, obviously, we had the FA Youth Cup last week and we couldn’t ask any more of the boys in terms of work rate, both this weekend and last,” said Gilroy, the former Albion winger.
“I’m particularly proud of them as it was a different type of game to what we normally play, as we had a lot more of the ball and tried to build through the pitch to get in behind at the right times.”
Chances were few and far between in the Rotherham game but that, too, gave the young players something to learn from, he felt.
He said: “You could tell it was a really scrappy game but sometimes in development it’s far better to see games like this to see how resilient the players are.
“It was really all about the fight and winning of second balls against a really physical Rotherham side.
“At the end of the day, winning and development go hand in hand, so to have that mentality and that fight was really pleasing in a game
where the football came second.”
Another big bonus was the continued rehabilitation of firstyear pro Jakub Niemczyk, who completing his second 90 minutes of the week on his return from a double leg fracture suffered last season on loan with Belper Town.
“Kuba’s had a really tough time at the club after making his debut so young in the first team a couple of years ago, to more recently having a few injuries,” added Gilroy.
“I think you can see his power and drive is there but he still needs to find his match sharpness.
“But what you get with Kuba is energy and fitness and I have no doubt he’ll be back to his best soon.”