Reece Cole believes the Youth Team will learn from Saturday’s match with Sheffield United as they let a 2-0 lead slip after they were reduced to ten men.
The Bees led 2-0 at half-time as a Makhosini Khanye strike and Reece’s fourth of the season put them in the driving seat.
However, after Tyrick Mitchell was sent off on his Youth Team debut, the visitors came storming back and equalised through Spencer Maw and Dan Cockerline.
They were then reduced to ten men late on as Ioan Evans was sent off but neither side could find a decisive fifth goal.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Reece felt matches like this, rather than run of the mill victories, will be the ones that teach the Youth Team how to be professional footballers.
“It was a good game to be part of and good for our development,” said Reece.
“It will also be good for Tyrick’s development too.
“Being an Under-15 and getting booked and then sent off is not ideal, or what we wanted for him, but it will be good for his development and for the team’s.
“Jon said to us after the match that it is all good winning 3-1 and 4-1 and being the best team on the pitch every week but when you go down to ten men and have to battle like that, that is when you really learn.
“When they went down to ten men I thought we could have got another goal and just gone on to kill the game.
“It didn’t happen for us today but we have got to learn from it.
“There are disappointed players in the dressing room who are disappointed with their performance rather than with the result.
“Even though it was a very young side today we learn to play like that all through the Academy.
“That is how we have got to play to win games.
“First-half we dominated them.
“We had a few chances and we got our two goals.
“We were happy going in at half-time with our two goal lead.
“Second-half we came out in the first 15 minutes and did well but we could have done better.
“When we went down to ten men we needed to try and organise ourselves.
“Jon De Souza and Anthony Hayes were trying to organise us from the sidelines but we need to be leaders and organise ourselves.
“I thought we did that well but there are always areas of improvement in what we do.”
Despite the fact there were other more experienced second-year scholars on the pitch Reece was given the captain’s armband for the match against The Blades.
The midfielder marked his first appearance as captain with a goal, firing home from the edge of the box.
Reece said it was a great honour to be named as captain and was pleased that he managed to get on the score-sheet and help his team out.
“It was good to be told that I was captain,” said Reece.
“I got told yesterday and I was buzzing coming in today.
“It is good that they think I can be a leader on the pitch.
“It was good to get another goal as well.
“The ball came to me on the edge of the box and I could see that the keeper was a bit to the left of his goal so I just slotted it bottom right.”
The point means that it is now ten unbeaten for the Youth Team this season ahead of their final league match of the season against Sheffield Wednesday.
Should The Bees beat The Owls, Charlton Athletic would need to win their last four matches to deny Brentford the U18 PDL Two South title.
Reece said he and his teammates will be going all out to secure the league title this season and then take that confidence on into the end of season play-offs and beyond.
“It would be unbelievable for us to come top,” said Reece.
“I don’t think Brentford have ever won this league and it would be good for us to win the league.
“We know that we are the best team in our league.
“Hopefully we can go and show the teams in the other league that we are the best team around.
“Everyone is buzzing for next season even though this one isn’t finished.
“We want to win the league and that is all we want to do.”