United’s U18s may have seen their ten-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday, however, Robbie Herrera is adamant there’s still plenty to play for in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Although the 4-1 home defeat to title rivals Bridgwater now leaves the destiny of the South West Counties Youth League title out of their hands, United’s Head of Youth was eager to place an emphasis on looking towards the challenges ahead, rather than reflecting on past results.
“It was a tough game anyway, with Bridgwater obviously challenging for the title,” began Robbie.
“Leading up to the game, the lads have been playing Saturday-Wednesday every week, plus training every day. I think a little bit of fatigue has crept in as well, but it’s not over yet, they’ve still got a couple of league games, and they’ve got a cup final to look forward to, so they’re going to have to find some energy, and a little bit of something extra to pull them through the next few weeks.”
The League Cup Final against Mangotsfield at Fairfax Park on Saturday, 13th May, now takes on added importance, however it’s encouraging that the winning habit isn’t just confined to The Gulls’ most senior age group – with Torquay’s Under-13s already celebrating success by virtue of a much-deserved league title, and the Under-16s also remaining in the shake-up for end-of-season honours.
Herrera explains that although the development of young players remains the overriding objective within any youth department, a winning mentality will always be encouraged too.
“Like everyone else, we want to win. It breeds good habits, but it’s about developing players, and trying to get players through the pathway to our first-team. It’s great to win, but it’s important that we try to produce players that gain a position in our first-team.”