Under-18s manager Ryan Dickson has spoken of his pride, after seeing his side bow out of the FA Youth Cup on Saturday.
After being drawn away to League One side Oxford United, The Gulls were always going to face a stern test of their credentials, yet apart from a difficult twenty-minute spell in the first half that ultimately proved decisive, Dickson was pleased with his players’ showing against higher-level opponents.
“I was really proud of the collective performance,” began Ryan.
“We restricted them to very few chances throughout, it was just an uncharacteristic and wobbly 20 minutes that gifted them a lead, and that was always going to be hard to turn around.
“I asked the lads at half time to affect the game, show personality and character to win the second half, which they did. It’s bittersweet, as there were some outstanding stand-out performances at a level that some really embraced, and can easily compete at.”
With plenty still to compete for, and an unbeaten South West Youth Counties League record to protect, Dickson feels that the lessons learned in adversity could well help push the lads onto greater things during the course of 2022/23, not to mention their future careers.
“It’s a good learning experience, that at that level small details matter, and you get punished more frequently. Getting used to adversity, and how to bounce back will be a big part of their development.”