Petty: Missed Opportunities Cost Us
- Coach Ben Petty reacts to a 2-0 loss against Sheffield Wednesday
- Leicester City’s Development Squad bow out of the Papa Johns Trophy
- Callum Paterson and Will Trueman scored for the Owls at Hillsborough
- Tawanda Maswanhise had a penalty saved among other missed chances
Needing at least two points to have a chance of qualifying for the next round of the competition, the Foxes youngsters were beaten 2-0 by Sky Bet League 1 outfit Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, finishing fourth in Northern Group H.
Goals in either half from Callum Paterson and Will Trueman secured victory for the Yorkshire outfit, though there were plenty of opportunities for the visitors to find the net, including from Tawanda Maswanhise’s unsuccessful penalty.
“It’s a tale of missing the golden chances in the second half,” Petty reflected to LCFC TV following full-time. “We told the lads to stay in there as we knew it was going to be a tough game tonight.
“We missed the penalty, we hit the crossbar and we missed an open goal. You’ve got to take your chances, especially in what is effectively a knockout stage of the competition where we’re at now.
“Will [Alves] looked really sharp and JT (Tawanda Maswanhise) was giving their right-back a lot of problems, which is credit to him as he’s an experienced pro. We got the penalty and I thought that was a way back into the game for us, but it’s a terrific save from their goalkeeper. On another night, we could have done what we did at Bradford two weeks ago.
“We talked about trying to keep it tight in the first 15 minutes of each half when they are coming on strong at home. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that tonight. It was crucial and it gave us a mountain to climb.
“But you saw the reaction of the players, they never gave up. They worked incredibly hard and they got the chances that we wanted, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the net.”
Petty Proud Despite Defeat
Coach Ben Petty reflected on a 2-0 reverse at Sheffield Wednesday in the Papa Johns Trophy.
Full-back Jahmari Lindsay made his full Under-21s debut in the fixture and centre-back Ben Grist also debuted, while there was a first start at this level for Zach Booth. Given the youthful look to City’s side, up against senior opposition across the duration of the competition, there was plenty for Petty to be satisfied with.
The 45-year-old continued: “We had six Under-18s players out there tonight. It’s an incredible experience for them and they’ll be better for that. I thought Jahmari [Lindsay] did really well on his first start and Ben [Grist] came on and I’m really pleased with Zach [Booth] after some injury problems. I was delighted with the efforts of the lads.
“The group we got given was incredibly tough from the start and to hang in there and be in with a chance of qualifying tonight shows what a credit the lads have been. It’s been three really tough games away from home.
“But I think we’ve gained a lot of experience and that’ll hold us in good stead for the times to come. Overall, I was really pleased with the team. They came back strong. It was a very young team tonight and I thought they did the Club proud.”