- Leicester City’s Development Squad saw off Tranmere Rovers of League 2
- Silko Thomas’ goal proved to be the difference at Prenton Park on Tuesday
- The Foxes move onto three points in EFL Trophy Northern Group D
- Ben Petty praised the team’s performance against the fourth-tier side
The Development Squad emerged 1-0 victors at Prenton Park courtesy of Silko Thomas’ ninth-minute strike, securing all three points in their second Northern Group D fixture against senior opposition.
A strong defensive rearguard aided the Foxes’ cause, with the Sky Bet League 2 outfit unable to find a way through, ensuring a second away win in three matches across all competitions.
“It’s very satisfying,” Petty commented at full-time. “Over the last few weeks, we have found things difficult but the lads are starting to get it. We went down to Fulham in the last PL2 game and put in a really good away performance.
“Tonight was another classic away performance where we really dug in at times against a really physical team. They hit the woodwork a couple of times, but we had a goal ruled out and missed chances on the break.
“I think, although there were a lot of chances in the game and I’m surprised it only finished 1-0, I’ll take that and a clean sheet away from home. I thought there were some fantastic performances tonight and the lads really stuck to the gameplan.
“We wanted to get the wide players into the game as much as possible and we did. Without picking players out, Ben [Grist] and Tom [Wilson-Brown] at the back really held the group together well with Brad [Young] behind them. It gave us a really solid platform to play our football.”
City’s coach felt the victory was a reward for their hard work on the night, with a chance to qualify for the knockout stages on the horizon if Leicester can overcome Fleetwood Town in their final group match next month.
He continued: “With us being a young team over the last couple of years and missing so many players, we’ve almost gone back to the Leicester values of when the First Team won the league – really working hard as a group out of possession.
“But we’ve got pace on the break and our problem earlier in the season has been that we’ve been too open because we’ve been playing out from the back and playing expansive football – which we want to do, but there’s got to be a balance.
“This young group are really starting to take shape. We need to start moving forward and getting more results.”
It was not the easiest of starts to the campaign for City’s young side, who suffered four straight Premier League 2 defeats after winning on the opening day, before a heavy loss at Wigan Athletic in the EFL Trophy, but they have now turned a corner in their quest for more consistent performances, Petty believes.
“PL2 is very strong this season,” the 46-year-old admitted. “A lot of teams are playing older players and, as a club, we choose to go in the direction of playing our youngsters. I’m fully behind that and the development of these players.
“You could see that tonight; there were three scholars on the pitch at the end of the game and it was a fantastic night for the Academy. Anybody who was at the Wigan game has probably seen a lot more maturity in the players tonight.
“They stood up to the physical challenge a lot better than they did in the second half against Wigan. It’s small steps. When developing young players, you’re not going to get massive strides too quickly and we have to keep the faith.
“At Leicester, we work them hard, and we try and teach them the right way. I’m very proud to be part of the team that have won the game.”