Following our U18s’ 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening, Rogan Ravenhill stated his side were unlucky to only come away with a point.
In an end-to-end encounter at the Oakwell Training Ground, both sides had opportunities to win the game but were unable to find that clinical edge in the final third.
“The result was tough to take as I think we deserved more from the game,” he asserted. “We did well to keep fighting till the end and I think we should’ve won it.”
The 17-year-old produced an array of outstanding saves throughout the game, keeping his side in the contest on a number of occasions.
It was a first clean sheet since the end of August for our young Reds, who remain top of the Professional Development League.
“I was pleased with my individual performance,” stated Ravenhill. “I made a few good saves to keep us in the game and it felt great to come away with a clean sheet at the end of it.”
Although the defensive work was adequate, Barnsley’s problems lay in the attacking third, which is a rarity for this vibrant side.
Our U18s had plundered 28 goals in all competitions heading into Friday evening’s game, and it is the first time they have failed to find the net since a 1-0 defeat at Hull in March.
“I thought we defended well at times, but we weren’t good enough in the final third and we didn’t have many shots on target,” discussed Ravenhill. “We did well to keep a clean sheet, but it would’ve been much better to take the three points along with it.”
Ravenhill is solely focussed on helping his side achieve success in their upcoming fixtures and insists they will address their issues on the training pitch.
Up next are Spennymoor Town in the FA Youth Cup on Friday 4 November at Oakwell as Nicky Eaden’s side look to progress to the second round.
“We’ve got to learn from this performance and improve it in training,” insisted our goalkeeper. “All we can do now is focus on the next game. We’ve got an FA Youth Cup match on Friday which we must be ready for.”
