Brentford B goalkeeper Ben Winterbottom feels the team can take confidence from their performance despite a late defeat to Ulsan Hyundai in their first match of the Atlantic Cup.

The young Bees were dealt a cruel blow on 86 minutes when the South Korean side netted to claim the victory, but in the aftermath Winterbottom says the side can take heart from their display.

He explained: “The dressing room is definitely flat because for almost 90 minutes we did so well. Defensively we were solid and we had some great opportunities, a couple of balls across where it just needs one touch on (to score.) The work rate we’ve put in, and to concede so late a from a set piece is disappointing.

“We all knew is was going to be a tough test against the South Korean champions, a men’s side, but I think the fact that we play quite a few men’s sides and different kinds of teams gave us a lot of confidence going into it. We definitely know we could have won and that’s why it’s so flat now because we know it was a good performance but it’s just not been our day.”

Participating in the Atlantic Cup against senior opponents is designed to test our young players and help them to continue their development. Winterbottom definitely feels the side can learn some important lessons from the game as well as focus on the positive elements to their performance.

“I think we learned that, for us, we’re definitely there to compete,” said the 21-year-old. “Just because it’s a first team, I think we’re more than capable of beating anyone and you couldn’t have told that we weren’t one (a first team) tonight. In terms of learning, it’s that concentration and if you lose it for a second against the champions of South Korea then you get punished. There is a lot of confidence in there because we know we could have won.”