SAM Rose felt that the performance of the Burton Albion under 18s was their best for a long time as the young Brewers drew 2-2 with Bolton Wanderers.
The friendly, which was played at St George’s Park, saw Burton go 2-0 up in the first-half, through a wonder striker from Reece Hutchinson and a goal from James Harrison. The Trotters came back to draw the game 2-2.
Professional Development Phase Lead Coach, believes that the under 18s’ performance against the category two Academy was an experience for the players.
He said: “I think it was as well as we have played for a long time. The performances of the players who have been out on-loan suggested that they learnt from their experience playing men’s football, particularly Reece (Hutchinson) who scored a good goal and Max (Smith) who played particularly well in the back 3.
“The lads worked hard and outplayed Bolton at times, that is the biggest positive. We put in a good performance and it was a good advert for the work that we are doing with the under 18s.
“We are a category three Academy and they are a well-established category two Academy. It just shows that when the lads approach a game in the right way, they can play to that standard.’’