Nik Tzanev believes Brentford’s Youth Team’s 1-0 win over Bristol City was below the standards they have been setting recently.
Josh Bohui scored the only goal of the game on the half-hour as Brentford recorded an eighth win in nine league matches.
The Bees had to hang on a little in the second-half against The Robins but in the end held out to secure a fifth straight league win.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Nik admitted The Bees were below par but he said on a personal level he was happy with the clean sheet.
“I was quite happy with the day as I did what I needed to do,” said Nik.
“I was happy with the clean sheet but I thought that we could maybe have got a couple more.
“Towards the end my kicking got a bit sloppy but overall I was happy with my performance.
“In the last four or five weeks we have been playing very well.
“Collectively we have been keeping the ball well and scoring goals but today we brought our standards down a bit.
“Hopefully we can rectify that for next week.
“The team have been playing really well recently and we are really close to getting into the final and hopefully we can do well in that.”
The clean sheet was the sixth of the season for the Youth Team who have the best defensive record in the Under-18 Professional Development League Two South this season.
Jon De Souza’s side have conceded just 33 goals in 25 matches this season as the season heads towards its conclusion.
For Nik and the rest of the defence that record gives them a lot of confidence heading towards the end of season play-offs.
Nik hopes that confidence will transform itself into a play-off win and help to banish the bad memories of the 3-2 FA Youth Cup defeat to Hull City back in December.
“We have been doing really well in recent weeks defensively,” said Nik.
“The relationship between the defenders and myself has worked really well and I think that bond has got us through the games.
“We know each other really well.
“Whenever anyone comes into the team we play well because we know how each other plays and we use that to our advantage.
“Having the best defensive record in the league gives us more confidence going into the big games we have towards the end of the season.
“Last season was really tricky because we weren’t winning much.
“This season has been really pleasing.
“Even today we didn’t play our best but we came out with the three points.
“The play-offs are massive for us and we should win the league because we have such a strong squad and bond within the team.
“That should be our minimum goal for this season especially after we got knocked out of the FA Youth Cup which we try not to talk about too much.
“It is an incentive because we don’t want the same outcome as we had in December.”
Nik received a personal boost this week as he was called up to the New Zealand Under-20 squad for their friendlies against Uzbekistan in April.
The friendlies are building towards the Under-20 World Cup which will be held in New Zealand later this year.
Nik said he was absolutely delighted to have been called up and paid praise to the coaching staff at Brentford, especially Goalkeeping Coach Jani Viander, for helping him progress to international standard.
“I am happy that my hard work and persistence has paid off now,” said Nik.
“I am a recognised international now and I can’t wait to go to Uzbekistan and show what I can do there.
“It is becoming a bit more of a reality now because the media is getting involved in New Zealand and I am becoming a lot more known.
“I have progressed massively at Brentford in the last two years.
“I have grown a lot physically and I am a lot more confident coming out for crosses, commanding my box and coming out for through balls.
“It has been great working with Jani Viander because he always works us really hard.
“He gives us a lot of feedback on what we are doing and what we should be doing as well as what we are doing well.
“It has been a good experience with him so far.
“Jani said that the quality of play in international level will be top level and probably even better than I am playing now.
“They will be the best players picked from the best teams so you have to expect the best.
“I am just really grateful and happy that I have been given the opportunity.
“I can’t wait to go away because it will be my first international.
“It will be good to get to know the team and the players and hopefully it will be onwards and upwards from there.
“I think myself and Kyjuon Marsh-Brown being called up helps the Academy a lot.
“It boosts the Academy and shows that the players are going somewhere and progressing.”