McSweeney: Results Will Come For Us

- Leicester City’s Under-21s fell to defeat in their final Bristol Street Motors Trophy fixture
- Notts County emerged as 1-0 victors in the Group N clash at Meadow Lane on Tuesday
- Coach Leon McSweeney said he could not fault the efforts from the Foxes youngsters

A narrow 1-0 defeat to Sky Bet League 2 outfit Notts County sealed the young Foxes’ fate in the competition, with Cedwyn Scott’s strike – the home side’s only shot on target - proving to be the difference in Nottingham.

Although coming out on the wrong side of the scoreline, unable to make their dominance in terms of possession and attempts on goal count, City’s coach saw plenty to be pleased about across the 90 minutes.

“I was absolutely delighted with what I saw tonight,” he commented after full-time at Meadow Lane. “To come here, it's a great venue to play football and that's why this competition is gold dust for Under-21s development. We asked our lads to showcase themselves and they did everything asked of them.

“I thought we controlled and dominated the game, went round them, through them, over them. Whatever they posed defensively, we had an answer in attack, and it was just the final piece of the jigsaw that was missing. It's getting that ball into the net.

“We're always talking about building towards consistency and what we have to work on is putting the ball in, the finishing touch, because everything up until that final action in the box was absolutely spot on and has been spot on so far this season.

“It's about getting that killer instinct in front of goal and turning that domination into the scoreline. But I cannot fault the lads' effort, intensity, quality, and it was just something that we need to keep working on; it'll come.”

Competitive across all three of the group games against established EFL teams, including two third tier outfits in Burton Albion and Northampton Town, McSweeney believes there is so much for the young group to take forward, hoping that those performances with spark a new found confidence.

“It’s a case of what could have been,” the 41-year-old admitted. “We were 1-0 up at Burton for so long and we concede late in the game. Ruthlessness in both boxes is what it comes down to. That, and a bit of profligacy in front of goal, is what's probably cost us progression in the group stage.

“It's hugely frustrating looking at the three scores and the lack of progression because it's such a good competition for our boys. It was there for us and if you don't take your chances in any game, you get punished for it and that's the way it was this year.

“They're young, and you're going to get that. You're not going to have the finished article by any means. But what I ask of the players all the time is just bring to the match pitch what I see on the training pitch.

“I thought to anyone watching tonight, we out footballed them in every department, apart from the scoreline, which is the next step for these guys in terms of developing on to the senior game.

“This is what having these players pit themselves against senior pros in the senior environment is all about. It's really tested the players' metal, and they've answered it so far this season.

“Nights like tonight should flood them with the belief that they belong in this stage. They should be looking at senior football, whether at our Football Club or if the next step is to get that senior experience and then experience that before pushing on to our First Team, and they're closer than they think on tonight's performance. I can't praise them enough.

“There’s no end of learning for the boys, no end of development and it's just about building on that now going back to the Premier League Cup next week and then going into finishing the Premier League 2 campaign, to get back on track in that.”