Manager Derek Adams has praised his players’ attacking display following Tuesday night’s penalty shootout victory over Everton U21s.
In what was an entertaining game at the Mazuma Stadium, goals courtesy of Jensen Weir, Caleb Watts and Farrand Rawson were cancelled out by Sean McCallister, Isaac Price and Tom Cannon inside the 90 minutes.
As per the rules of the Papa John’s Trophy, the game went to penalties to determine who would pick-up the bonus point, and after going to sudden death, Anthony O’Connor managed to convert the deciding spot kick.
Throughout the night, the gaffer was pleased with what he saw from his teams offensively.
“Kieran Phillips led the line very well tonight,” he said.
“[Caleb] Watts obviously coming in off the side at times, playing in the hole, along with the midfield three, so we had a good blend in the team tonight, experience and youth.
“It was a good game for everyone to come here and see, there was plenty of goals and chances in the game.
“Most of the chances fell to us in that first period, we had a lot of the ball, and we created some really good openings in that first period, and deservedly we were 2-1 up in the game going in at half-time.
“We finished the game very strongly, and we got a good goal to make it 3-3.”
Something else that impressed Adams was the six players who came into the starting XI for the first time this campaign, which, according to the gaffer, can be difficult.
He added: “We had six players making their first starts of the season, and I thought they did really well from that point of view.
“It’s not easy being out for so long, but the fitness was good and they drilled themselves on.
“We’ve got a lot of players who are learning, they’re learning the game, we’ve taken in players on loan because their clubs from the Championship or the Premier League want them to get experience.
“When you come into men’s football, it’s all about learning.
“We’re always looking to win games, we’ve won three cup games this season, it’s beneficial to us.”