B team head coach Neil MacFarlane believes his side’s penalty shootout defeat to AIK Fotboll will prove as another fantastic learning curve for his side.

The match ended 1-1 following a late Alex Gilbert equaliser but it was the Swedish side who came out on top in the shootout with a 5-4 victory.

Reacting to his side’s performance which was full of determination and spirit, MacFarlane explained: “To a man we were outstanding. I thought we started the game really brightly and played some terrific football in the first 15 minutes. The game then became a bit frantic and bitty towards the end of the first half and it evened itself out. We made a tweak at half-time to get an extra man in the middle of the park which allowed us to press them even higher and we had a number of steals where we got in and we had countless chances throughout the game.

“Michael (Olakigbe) then had a brilliant bit of play and came inside and hit the post. We didn’t let it get to us (going behind), we kept going to the end and the group never give up. We’re trying to develop them as good, young footballers and human beings who will have longevity in their careers and nights like tonight are a really good experience for them.”

On the character within the group as they kept pushing right until the end to get something from the game, MacFarlane believes there is a fantastic culture within the dressing room with players working for each other all the time.

He continued: “We know what we’ve got in the dressing room. The culture and work ethic of this team is absolutely phenomenal, and they should be hugely proud of their efforts over the past two months. The level of game we’re playing, the level of teams we’re coming up against, and we’re stamping our authority on the game and that is really pleasing to see. We’ve come a long way as a group, and we want to keep getting better. There are aspects of tonight where we can improve, and we got a hugely deserved goal at the end. To see us show that type of mentality is another really good thing.”

On the goal that the Swedish side did score, MacFarlane says the side will look to learn from how they conceded, but overall was satisfied with the way the team defended.

He explained: “Every goal you can analyse and every one is disappointing to lose. We didn’t defend the box well enough at the right moment and that was disappointing because it was during a spell where we were dominating the game. Throughout the 90 minutes we didn’t give up much and that’s credit to the lads and the organisation.”