Grecians player-coach reacts to Under-21 success
COACH DANNY BUTTERFIELD demanded that his Under-21s continue to do themselves justice after Ollie Watkins' goal secured a 1-0 win over Peterborough United at St James Park.The 1-0 scoreline was in stark contrast to the one-sided first qualifying round, but with the Grecians securing their progression to the Round of 32, Butterfield praised his players for posing danger to the opposition from all over the field.
"Sometimes you have to acknowledge that the opposition gave us a good game," Danny said. "I still think that we created enough chances to make it more comfortable than the 1-0, but I enjoyed watching us tonight. It was a good, solid performance for us.
"I asked the players before the game to be very competitive. I certainly think we showed that all over the pitch, and particularly in the middle of midfield through Alex Byrne and Jamie Harkness. We've got players in the team who can create chances, and that stretches from the front four to the full-backs and even Harky, who rattled the post at the end. There are a lot of goals in the team; unfortunately tonight the chances weren't converted, but I'm delighted with the way the lads played tonight.
"We're into the Round of 32 now, and I'm certainly going to continue asking the boys to put in good performances and to do ourselves justice. I think that, from the way that we're progressing after the last two performances, we're starting to look a good team."