Perfect Way To End The Season, Says Barradell
- Leicester City Under-18s 4-2 victors against Aston Villa
- Kirsten Otchere scored twice at Bodymoor Heath Training Ground
- It was a pleasing performance from the boys, explained Adam Barradell
- The Foxes finished eighth in the U18 Premier League South Division
The Young Foxes rounded off their U18 Premier League South Division season with a big win over Villa, bouncing back from four losses on the spin, as Kirsten Otchere scored twice at Bodymoor Heath Training Ground.
Discussing the success, City's coach was delighted with the performance and hopes that Ben Petty, who coaches the Development Squad, was pleased with what he saw.
“We’re delighted with the performance – it’s a perfect way to end the season,” Barradell stated. “We went 1-0 down and then coming back, I thought the boys showed real character and the way they pressed, with and without the ball we were really positive.
“I'm delighted to finish the season with that type of performance and win and really pleased with the boys on the day. Ben Petty took the game, so hopefully he was impressed with what he’s seen.”
With the campaign coming to its conclusion, most of the 18-year-olds will now have the chance to progress into the Under-21s squad, hence Petty’s involvement on the final day.
Barradell believes Leicester rallied well to come from a goal down in the East Midlands to show their capabilities in front of the watching staff.
“I think it was a great challenge for the boys,” Barradell continued. “Ben and I spoke about it before around him being involved in the game and taking the team. Most of the players will be moving into that Development Squad, so it was a challenge to them to show what they could do.
“Of course, Ben has seen them before and worked closely with them on a day-to-day basis in training but to have the chance to play in front of him, in a game, was a great opportunity.
“The boys took that opportunity, and not just the second years, but we had plenty of Under-16s in there too such as Jake Evans who scored, and Louis Page who played well. Kirsten [Otchere] scored two goals so that rounds off a good season for him.”
He went on to talk about the importance of positive relationships with the Academy setup. Every staff member, at some point or another, will have the chance to coach each player that comes through the ranks.
“We’ve got a real connected pathway in terms of coaching,” Barradell explained. “And a lot of the coaches work across different age groups. The Under-18s coaches were there supporting the Under-16s in their cup final.
“There’s a lot of cross-coaching across age groups so they know the boys well that are coming through the pathway and as you’ve seen, there’s a lot of players moving across the teams.
“We’ve got an excellent group of staff and I’d like to say it’s really positive at the moment. The staff are working tirelessly to produce players for the First Team.”
Finishing eighth in the standings may not have hit the originally planned target, but with several cup runs and plenty of player promotions into the older age groups, there’s been lots to get excited about heading into the summer.
Barradell added: “League wise, we wanted to break into the top six which unfortunately we haven’t done, but we look at the season as a real positive one. The boys have had some varied experiences in terms of playing in the league and cup runs.
“In terms of producing players, the challenge is always trying to get as many Academy products into the First Team as possible, whether that’s in the Championship or Premier League.
“Our role is to produce players that are ready for that jump and take opportunities when the Manager gives it to them, so we’ll be looking to carry that on next season.”