3 min read
22nd Aug 2023
Richard Walker has praised the character and resilience of his side as Wolves under-18s came from two goals down to defeat Everton in the under-18 Premier League on Saturday.
The youngsters had an uphill battle after conceding twice in the opening 21 minutes at Finch Farm, but the Old Gold stuck at it and came out victorious by three goals to two thanks to goals from Minkyu Ji, Fabian Salmon and Tom Edozie. Head coach Walker has pinpointed the ‘emotional control’ of his players in not letting the score line distract from the performance or finding a way back into the game.
On the performance
“Overall the performance was a really pleasing one. In the first 25 minutes we weren’t at our best, but it wasn’t a disaster.
“There were a couple of things we needed to rectify on the press. It’s easy at that stage when you’re 2-0 down to think the performance isn’t ok.
“From 25 minutes beyond, the performance went from fine to good. We played some really good stuff, passed the ball really well, on transition we were excellent – in terms of both the counter-attack and the counter-press.
“There was some real quality in there and that came through with three really good goals.”
On coming from two goals down
“The character shown to come from two goals down was fantastic. It’s always a measure of a good team spirit and a good resilience level.
“Probably the most pleasing factor was the emotional control shown within that period at 2-0 down when you think this could be tough.
“The players stuck to the game plan really well and we tweaked it slightly on the press which made a difference, but overall the character was excellent and they were worthy of the win.
“In an ideal world we won’t have to come from behind, but it’s comforting to know that if we are behind in games the lads have got the spirit, resilience and character to come back from that.”
On what he can take from the game
“There’s plenty to take from the game to build on – the character, the togetherness and not to get distracted or put off by the score line.
“Naturally it has a big measure on a lot of aspect of play, but the players showed really good emotional control.
“The lads were really good in pre-season and probably let the levels drop against Blackburn, but the performance on Saturday was there or thereabouts what we’re capable of.
“The quality of goals was outstanding, but it was a performance during which everyone played their part.”