B team head coach Neil MacFarlane felt his side should have walked away from Kenilworth Road with a win following their 2-2 draw with Luton Town’s Under-21s on Tuesday.

The young Bees were 2-0 up after a positive showing in the first half but two goals form the Hatters ensured that the match ended level in a game where MacFarlane felt his side played some brilliant football and didn’t quite make the most of the chances created.

Reflecting on the match, which was played in torrential rain, MacFarlane said: “I thought it was a terrific game and I thought in the first half some of our football was breathe taking. For 40 minutes of that first half that’s some of the best football that I can remember in the B team. Some of our ball retention, patterns of play and our rotations in possession were sensational and it caused them (Luton) a lot of problems.

“We scored two goals to get 2-0 ahead and we could have scored more. The game should really have been out of sight and at the end of the first half we were a little bit naïve where we didn’t see the half out properly and we gave them an opportunity to score so it’s a learning curve from that in terms of not giving the other team a leg up going into the second half. They sat back on the game because in the first half they came to press us, and we were popping it round them. They became more difficult to break down and we switched off from a throw in for their equaliser but, in general, we kept going throughout what was a torrentially wet night and we showed an amazing attitude to the game.”

MacFarlane was able to call upon five first team players on the night with experienced players Saman Ghoddos, Shandon Baptiste and Mads Roerslev featuring alongside youngsters Matt Cox and Fin Stevens. Discussing their involvement, the B team boss says they contributed fantastically to the game.

He explained: “Any time they have dropped down they have been brilliant for us. We had a very similar game against Queens Park Rangers, and they were the same that day and they really added to the B team players that were playing tonight. Overall, it was an outstanding performance, and it was one where we should have won the game. We will pick the holes in it and analyse ways in which we could’ve prevented the goals that we conceded but overall, some of our football in possession was first class.”

The young Bees are building towards their semi-final in the Premier League Cup with Fulham Under-21s on 27 April and MacFarlane believes the fixture programme is readying his side for that game having had a tough test against Luton with Huddersfield Town B on the horizon on 18 April.

“It’s been an amazing season for us in terms of the level of fixtures that we’ve played,” said MacFarlane. “It’s probably been the highest standard in the four years that I’ve been here. We’re really testing the group and we can see them improving, both individually and as a team. They’re really united in that in terms of what they do on the training ground and taking it into the games this season. It’s led us to some unbelievable performances in the Premier League Cup which have taken us to a semi-final. We know it’s going to be a really tough game against Fulham but these sorts of games prepare us for it and it’s one we look forward to.”