Clark: It Didn't Fall Our Way
- Leicester City's Development Squad were defeated 2-0 by Liverpool Under-23s at LCFC Training Ground on Monday evening
- The young Foxes have finished 12th in the final Premier League 2 Division 1 standings
- Defender Mitch Clark felt it was a tight encounter that could have gone either way in the second half
- He also looks back on the campaign as a whole, which has included a frustrating period on the sidelines for the 22-year-old
Two second-half goals handed the away side all three points at LCFC Training Ground in the final Premier League 2 Division 1 fixture of the 2020/21 season.
The young Foxes finished in 12th position in the standings, having taken 22 points from 24 matches. Following their three-game unbeaten run, a positive result against the Reds proved to be a step too far.
"We said it at half-time when we came in at 0-0, we said this game's all to play for," 22-year-old Clark revealed in his post-match interview with LCFC TV.
"At 0-0, you're thinking that one goal is going to change the game and unfortunately, it fell for them. I think you expect that, though, when you're playing against Liverpool.
"Obviously, you know what the first team’s like, it comes from the academy. They’re going to be a high-pressing team that are going to keep the ball.
"We're going to have chances where we're going to clear the ball, keep ourselves in the game, and we did that at half-time."
With the contest still in the balance, Ben Woodburn's strike on the hour mark gave the visitors a crucial lead, and as City fought to gain a foothold in the game, Liverpool struck again late on via substitute Kaide Gordon.
"Obviously, in the second half, it just didn't go our way," Clark admitted. "It just didn't go quite to plan. Especially with the wind, we thought, with the wind, it would fall into our favour, but it just didn't unfortunately and we paid for it.
"I think when you go 1-0 down, as a defender, you can be quite a nuisance up top, but it just didn’t go to plan for us and unfortunately, we've lost."
The result brought to an end an up and down season for the Aston Villa academy graduate, who spent time at Sky Bet League 2 side Port Vale before an injury-disrupted second part of the campaign.
Clark's 2020/21 Reflections After Season Finale
Young defender Mitch Clark speaks following the Development Squad's 2-0 defeat by Liverpool at LCFC Training Ground.
He still managed to make 13 Premier League 2 appearances for Leicester and provided valuable experience in a young squad.
Clark added: "Reflecting individually, obviously, I was out on loan for the first half of the season, then I ruptured my ankles just before January.
"Being one of senior players in the age groups, all I thought was to help the younger lads out to keep them in the league and help them gain experience."