Kevin O’Connor felt there were a lot of positives to take from Monday’s Development Squad match against Hull City despite his side being on the end of a 3-1 defeat.
A stunning long-range effort from James Ferry put The Bees ahead after eight minutes only for Will Annan to level three minutes before the break. The hosts had the better of the second-half but needed a sublime Conor Townsend free-kick to break down Brentford’s defences with 15 minutes to play before adding a third six minutes later through Jarrod Bowen.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Kevin said he was pleased to see such a good performance especially coming off the back of a disappointing display against Cardiff City last time out.
“I thought the result was disappointing but the performance was very good,” said Kevin. “There was a lot of good play in stages and we were really encouraged by the performance. We told the boys before the game that we wanted them to show Hull City that they were here for a game and they did that. They were superb for the first 20 minutes and got a cracking goal through James Ferry and then they carried that on.
“At the break we told the boys to just keep doing what they had been doing. We were well in the game and we asked the boys not to let their heads drop. I thought we dropped a little bit deep in the second-half and they created a few chances but overall it was very good.”
Against an experienced Hull City side which included Harry Maguire, Townsend and Bowen who all have first-team experience Kevin was pleased with the way the younger players in the Brentford team stood up to the challenge.
Kevin said he has been encouraged to see the strides that the players are making in training and in matches and feels that can only bode well for the future.
“Seven of the team that lost here last year in the Youth Team started tonight so that just shows that things are going well,” said Kevin. “The boys that are stepping up are improving the quality that we have got. I am happy coming away from here even though we have lost. You can see the performance from the young boys are really improving.
“There is stuff to work on but the future is bright. It is nice to see boys like James Ferry, Tom Field and Zain Westbrooke developing. Gradi Milenge was excellent as well tonight so it is really rewarding to see the stuff that you are working on coming out on the pitch.”
Bees Player subscribers can listen to the full interview below