Under 18s manager Sam Rose has been delighted with the way that his team have performed in the first half of their season, and says that the players can take a lot of confidence into 2017.
The young Brewers finished the year with a 3-1 win over Lincoln City in the Youth Alliance league, just two days after a spirited performance in a 4-1 loss against Sunderland in the third round of the FA Youth Cup.Rose’s side are currently flying high in their division, and the manager feels that the academy can be pleased with the performances and development of his players in the latter part of 2016.
“I think if you look at the league table and use that as a gauge, we are second and we have got a game in hand on the leaders, Mansfield Town.
“I think that it has been quite successful, you look at the development that the players have gone through since the start of the season I think that everyone is ticking a long really well.
“We have some talented footballers and I think massive credit goes to them for finishing 2016 off being second in the table, getting through to a quarter final [of the Youth Alliance Trophy and putting in a good performance against a Premier League under 18 team, we are really pleased with how the start to the season has gone.”
Rose has also stressed the importance of the players remaining focused during their Christmas break, as they prepare to return to action soon after the turn of the year.
“They have got an off-season programme, we are basically putting our trust in the players and saying ‘look after yourselves, stay safe, stay fit and stay sharp’ because we have got a game on the sixth of January, and a game again on the 13th so the games will come thick and fast, we will get ourselves prepared and ready for those games, as we have done for the start of the season.”
Burton are just four points behind Youth Alliance leaders Mansfield Town, with a game in hand on the Stags going into the new year.