B team head coach Neil MacFarlane feels his side’s place in the last eight of the Premier League Cup is fully deserved following their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough Under-21s on Monday.

The side claimed the win with two first half goals from J’Neil Bennett and Alex Gilbert whilst they saw out the remainder of the game in a professional manner after Sonny Finch’s goal for the away side.

Reacting to the win and his side’s progression in the competition, MacFarlane said: “I’m ecstatic for the group. They’ve put in a terrific performance in terms of this tournament so far with five wins out of six in the group stage and today we found ourselves in the knockout stages. To find ourselves in the quarter-finals is nothing more than the group deserve but you only get what you put into it and I thought, to a man, whether they started or came on as a sub, everyone gave everything for the cause.

“I felt first half we played some outstanding football and we had total domination of the game with some terrific patterns of play. We got into the final third many times and the ball didn’t quite bounce for us at the right moment to score. We pride ourselves on set plays both for and against and that got us the opening goal and then we scored just before half-time with an absolutely sensational bit of play from Alex. I think the scoreline at half-time at 2-0 was fair and then it was a case of keeping the standards in the second half. Naturally Middlesbrough threw caution to the wind, and they kept going for it, and that’s credit to them. They got back into it but our response was phenomenal to see the game out and we richly deserved the victory.”

The Bees lined up with a front three of Tony Yogane, J’Neil Bennett and Michael Olakigbe and it was Bennett who grabbed the opener on 25 minutes. MacFarlane feels that the goal for the 21-year-old was well deserved for his work ethic throughout the match.

He continued: “We were really mobile at the top end of the pitch and J’Neil had a terrific game. He worked really hard, which is the basis of any individual in the team for us and he got his goal. He contributed, as they all did, to a thoroughly entertaining afternoon. It’s really pleasing to come out on the right side of the performance and the result.”

The B team boss was also keen to praise captain Alex Gilbert as he continued his impressive run of form this season. The creative midfielder missed the last two matches for the side with a slight injury but marked his return to the fold with an impressive strike from distance.

“He’s having a fantastic season and he’s been absolutely magnificent for us day in, day out, on the training ground,” said MacFarlane. “He’s been captain for us this year and he’s really leading the team in a really sublime performance. He and Ryan (Trevitt) really complemented each other in the middle of the park, and I thought between the two of them they got real control in the game. It’s a really tough tournament and it’s testing our players but we’re coming out with some really good performances in it and hopefully we can continue it into the quarter-finals and beyond.

The clean sheet eluded the side on the day as Finch struck with his left foot on 72 minutes. Nonetheless, MacFarlane was satisfied with the number of chances that Boro were limited to throughout the game. He continued: “Within the system that we’re playing with the three centre halves and our wing backs we gave up very little in the game. They had a terrific bit of play for their goal and it was an outstanding finish from them, but other than that over the course of 90 minutes I didn’t think we gave up much. Whereas at the other end we were a continuous threat and we looked like we could score goals. We’ll keep homing in on trying to get that clean sheet which has eluded us in the last few weeks but we look a real threat going forward.”

Having reached the last eight of the tournament MacFarlane says his side are thoroughly enjoying all of the tests that they’re being met with in the Premier League Cup and he wants his side to maintain the same level of performances which have served his side so well in recent matches.

He explained: “They’re loving the tournament and the competitive aspect of it. We’re really focusing in on performing at a high level with good standards. In the group stages and in the knockout stages so far I’ve got no complaints with the group. They’re giving us everything in terms of the work ethic and the demands that we put on them but also with real quality. We’ve got a quarter-final to look forward to in March and hopefully we can keep getting better all the time and we’ll see how far it takes us in the tournament.”