Blackpool boss makes youth academy point as he shares pride after Tranmere Rovers performances
Blackpool were defeated 2-1 by Tranmere Rovers in their final EFL Trophy group outing.
Ian Evatt states he was left proud by the way Blackpool’s youngster performed in the club’s EFL Trophy tie away to Tranmere Rovers.
With progression into the next round already confirmed, the Seasiders boss opted to rest the majority of his senior players for the trip to Prenton Park.
Oluchukwu Nwankwo, Derek Oshodi, Theo Upton, Spencer Knight and Terry Bondo were all named in the starting XI, while James Butterworth, Harry Williamson, George Elder, Ky-Mani Leliendal and Jack Richardson were introduced off the bench at various points in the second half.
The game ultimately ended in a 2-1 defeat for the team in Tangerine, with Scott Banks’ opener being cancelled out by goals from Patrick Brough and Joe Ironside either side of the break.
Despite not getting the result, Evatt was pleased by what he saw from his side, and is hopeful further nights like that will stand the club in good stead going forward.
“It was the U18s and Terry (Bondo) against their EFL team, and we still gave as good as we got,” he said.
“Was it tough? - Absolutely. Did they enjoy it? - I think so, definitely. There’s lots of smiles in there, but also some disappointment, and that pleases me as well because that says to me that they’re in the right head space and want to win every game they play in. That’s what it means to play for this football club.
“They’ve learnt a hell of a lot tonight. A lot of them have been up training with us and taking in snippets of information, and they did themselves so proud. There were a couple of standout performances in Oluchukwu (Nwankwo) and Theo (Upton), and the rest of them were great.
“They gave me everything, which is the minimum requirement physically, and at times they showed some quality. I’m just so proud of them being able to compete against a really strong physical team that plays every week in the EFL.
“I want us to become a club that develops our own. We should be able to develop and coach our own to get players coming through the system.
“They should see there is a pathway. The North West is a huge pool of talent. There’s so many big clubs around us. If we can prove a pathway and create an identity where they see progression, hopefully for the ones that don’t make it at these super rich teams, we can be in line for what’s next.
“We can do that by good coaching, a good pathway, and those young players showing what they can do.”
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