Lee Carsley was pleased with the way that his side turned things around in the second-half of their 4-1 victory over Cardiff City on Friday.
The Bees trailed early on after Abdi Noor stole in to poke home but responded just before the break as Zain Westbrooke thumped home from the edge of the box.
Jermaine Udumaga put Lee’s side ahead in the early stages of the second-half and the points were wrapped up thanks to Herson Rodrigues Alves’ first Under-21 goal and a second for Udumaga late on.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Lee felt his side lacked intensity in the first-half, something he attributed to the ease with which they beat Barnsley 7-2 last time out.
However the former Republic of Ireland midfielder was much happier with their second-half showing and their attacking intent as they made it 11 goals in two matches.
“I thought it was a good performance especially after coming off the game three days ago,” said Lee.
“You are always wary that some of the players might be feeling it in the legs but I thought we got better as the game went on.
“I thought we were a little bit sloppy in possession in the first-half.
“We were a little bit slow and predictable.
“I put that down to the fact that they won 7-2 on Monday and you almost start the game as you finished the other one.
“They got a bit of a shock going 1-0 down but showed a good reaction at half-time.
“The second-half was a lot better and they were a lot more positive in their passing and we took care of the ball better.
“They played with a lot more energy second-half and passed it quicker.
“They police themselves in that respect and at half-time they realised that wouldn’t be good enough and they all responded.
“There is a good emphasis on scoring goals and creating goals.
“It is always nice when you see the goals flying in.
“It is just nice that they are not flying in at our end as well.
“We seem to have put a stop to conceding goals so hopefully we can keep attacking.”
Lee’s side included seven members of the Under-18’s squad that looks set to win their Under-18 Professional Development League Two South.
Zain and Herson, two members of that side, both scored their first Under-21 league goals while James Ferry, Gradi Milenge, Courtney Senior, Kyjuon Marsh-Brown and Tom Field also featured.
Lee thinks it is great that so many scholars are coming into the Under-21s and not only playing but contributing fully to wins.
“It was a good time to score, just before half-time, and it knocked the stuffing out of them,” said Lee.
“I thought all the goals were well worked and it was a good all-round performance.
“They had four or five scholars and we finished the game with six scholars on the pitch so the Under-18s have seen the benefits of doing well in their league.
“You never know how they are going to cope with Under-21s football.
“Gradi Milenge was playing against Joe Mason who is a first-team player and has been on loan at Bolton Wanderers this season.
“He has scored some goals at Cardiff as well so it is a good test for him and something he doesn’t experience on a Saturday morning.”
Friday’s win means it is now six wins in nine for Lee’s side as they close to within five points of the league’s top two.
Having won only one of their first 10 matches in the league the Under-21s have improved markedly in recent weeks both in terms of results and performances.
Lee thinks that improvement is down to the hard work that they boys are putting in during training and believes that there is a real desire to work hard throughout his group.
“The hard work that they are putting in is paying off,” said Lee.
“The boys are a tough working group but sometimes they work too hard.
“I would rather them doing too much than not enough and there is a real work ethic and spirit amongst them.
“They have the ability now to bounce back when they have disappointments.
“If you work in any industry you want to get the rewards for the work you put in.
“Jermaine Udumaga scores a lot of goals in training and he has now got 14 or 15 goals this season.
“His shooting accuracy in training is really good, he practices that all the time, and you can see that in games.
“Every time he shoots from the edge of the box you get the feeling that he is going to hit the target or score.”
The Development Squad are next in action tomorrow away at Leeds United, their third game in seven days.
While this intense run of fixtures wasn’t planned as a learning exercise Lee thinks that the players will learn a lot about the demands of being a professional footballer during this spell of matches.
“The boys will do a warm-down on Saturday, not do much on Sunday and then travel up to Leeds on Monday,” said Lee.
“It is very similar to a first-team set up and we spoke to them after the Barnsley game saying that it is very important that when they go home they live like athletes in terms of their nutrition.
“It wasn’t a plan to play these games so close together but it is good because it puts them under pressure.
“Football is about pressure and I am sure that we will make a few mistakes on Monday but it is important that the lads learn from it in terms of what they do to recover.
“We have got some really good games coming up so it is important that they prepare properly on and off the pitch.”