England U16s head coach Steve Cooper believes his side will come back stronger after suffering a narrow defeat against Wales in their opening Victory Shield match.
The Young Lions went down 1-0 to a second-half strike from Liam Angel, despite producing their fair share of chances in tempestuous conditions in Bangor.
Wales U16s 1-0 England
Sky Sports Victory Shield
Book People Stadium
Bangor City FC
Friday 31 October 2014
Cooper could identify real positives from his first match in charge, and is optimistic for next Friday’s match against Northern Ireland in Dungannon.
“I said to the players after the game we’ve had a good week and we’d be narrow-minded if we didn’t look at all the good things from training,” he said.
“We’ve learned a lot together as a group, and while we could have put it together a bit better on the night, some of our play was good and some individuals shone.”
The former Liverpool and Wrexham academy coach, who joined the Club England setup last month after working as an FA Youth Coach Educator, was pleased with the way his players responded to the defeat.
“Games like these throw up different challenges – which are all part of the learning process”
Steve Cooper
England U16s head coach
“First and foremost the players seemed to understand what an England team should look like and the way we are trying to play,” he said.
“I think they were naturally disappointed but this is very early on in these young players’ journey, and they will learn from matches like this
“Conditions were not necessarily in our favour, and games like these throw up different challenges – which are all part of the learning process.”
Cooper and his young squad will regroup at St. George’s Park ahead of their second of three Victory Shield matches this autumn.
“We’ll reflect on what we can do better, but it’s early on in these players’ journey, and over time they will learn adapt to different scenarios,” he said.
“But the approach will remain exactly the same. We know how an England team needs to look, and we will stay true to that.”
England play their first and final home tie of this year's Victory Shield campaign against Scotland on Thursday 20 November at Yeovil Town's Huish Park.
Tickets are priced £3 for adults, £1 concessions and can be purchased by calling 01935 847888 or e-mailing ticketoffice@ytfc.net.
