Dale finished the tie with five Youth Team players on the pitch, and despite the loss, our Head Coach was proud of the group.
“They’re an amazing side [Huddersfield], with the players they’ve got,” Watson commented.
“Their coaching staff are amazing as well, with the way they set them up and how much they run.
“For me tonight, I’m honestly so proud of the group. The senior boys, how they led, how they kept on going and encouraging the younger lads.
“From the Club’s point of view, to finish with the Academy boys on the pitch that we did, it’s credit to the work that James [Caldwell], Shez [Mike Sheron] and the Academy staff do.
“I’ve got nothing but pride in how well we played with the ball at moments. For sure, we’ll learn from the goals that we conceded. It’s clear how clinical teams are the higher you go, and it’s good for us to learn from that.
“In terms of how we conducted ourselves as a team, I can’t speak highly enough of the group, with how brave we were, and I think some moments were really good.
“The scoreboard obviously says a different thing, and I understand that, but from my point of view, we knew what tonight was about. The young boys came in and gave everything, so there’s no criticism from me.
“They are blessed to be around some incredible pros like Hendo [Ian Henderson], Mani [Dieseruvwe], Ed [Francis] and Hanno [Luke Hannant]. They can learn what it takes to be a First Team footballer, and tonight was such a good learning curve for them.”
Watch the full interview with Watson below via our official YouTube channel.
