He told seagulls.co.uk, “The work ethic was good and we tried our best, but it’s a tall order for these young boys to compete against a much stronger development squad.“We conceded a goal through a lack of concentration after they scored from a long ball played over our defence.
“Over recent weeks we’ve fallen short and our mistakes have been punished, so it’s very difficult to get back in the game.”
Ireland believes it is a steep learning curve for many of the younger players competing at this level, but is happy there opportunities are for progression through the age groups.
He added, “There were 12 under-18s in the squad and we’re playing against teams that are more experienced than us.
“They didn’t have any recognised first-team players playing for them, but we effectively putting out an under-18 team.
“There are now not many players in the under-18 squad who haven’t had a chance to play in the under-21s this season.
“That is what we want. Players should be able to progress into the under-21s before one day going up in the first team.”
Original article
“Over recent weeks we’ve fallen short and our mistakes have been punished, so it’s very difficult to get back in the game.”
Ireland believes it is a steep learning curve for many of the younger players competing at this level, but is happy there opportunities are for progression through the age groups.
He added, “There were 12 under-18s in the squad and we’re playing against teams that are more experienced than us.
“They didn’t have any recognised first-team players playing for them, but we effectively putting out an under-18 team.
“There are now not many players in the under-18 squad who haven’t had a chance to play in the under-21s this season.
“That is what we want. Players should be able to progress into the under-21s before one day going up in the first team.”
Original article