Tranmere Rovers’ U18s were beaten 3-2 away at Salford City on Saturday morning and Youth Team manager Andy Parkinson admits his side’s game plan did not pay off.
TRFC were looking to get their first league win of the season against Salford, the current leaders. They started off well with a penalty but two headed goals saw Salford take the lead by the end of the first half.
A Tranmere goal in the second half equalised the scores but Salford once again found the net and managed to win the game, with the youth boss saying that the Ammies’ physical style of play was key to their victory.
Parkinson said “The preparation was good, but the execution of the game plan was off.
“Today was a difficult experience for the players, very similar to playing a semi-professional non-league side, and I say that with the greatest respect for Salford, because of the style and the type of personnel that they've got.
“Our players go through that experience in pre-season and they knew what to expect. On the day, they were better at playing their style of football. We weren't able to execute our game plan and enforce our style of play onto the game.”
Tranmere were without key players for the match, including the suspended captain Joe Blackham and Cameron Ferguson but Parkinson did not feel that it caused any disadvantage for his side.
He continued: “I don't think we get too prioritised with the personnel we have available because it's not necessarily about the results. Obviously we want to win, but we need to learn how to lose and how to deal with defeats. These experiences are essential for the lads if they want to be able to break into the senior team.”
Tranmere's next game is at home against Fleetwood Town, where they will be looking to earn their first league win.
Parkinson added: “We are looking to develop these lads into first team players. A win at home is very important for us and hopefully if we achieve that result our form will improve, and we can start to get the lads to make everyone sit up and notice them.”