Dale led 3-1 heading into added time, before conceding twice in two minutes and ultimately losing out on penalties.
“My initial thought is that I’m really disappointed for the group, because I thought the performance was really good,” commented the Head Coach.
“We got minutes into players that we needed to get minutes into, and we really wanted to win the football match.
“I thought the performance was outstanding for 94 minutes, and then in the last two minutes, we dropped off and allowed the opposition to score two goals.
“We want to talk about the positives, but it is disappointing not to win the game.”
There was a first start for first-year scholar Tom Bradley, whilst fellow Youth Team players Reece Leonard and Israel Pither made their professional debuts.
“I was really proud of the young lads who stepped up. It’s a good moment for the Football Club, having just got the Academy re-emerging.
“It’s amazing that we can have three players represent the Club. I know how much work people behind-the-scenes have put in to get it to this level.
“I didn’t feel like the lads were just bodies on the pitch, I felt like their performances were very good as well.
“It’s a huge positive for the Club and a huge positive for them.”
Watch the full post-match interview with Watson below via our official YouTube channel.
