Rushden & Diamonds Youth 2 - 3 Watford Hertswood Youth
Rushden & Diamonds Youth Team succumbed to their first loss of the season on Wednesday, beaten 3-2 by Watford Hertswood.
Paul Driver's side, featuring only two second years went 2-0 up through goals from Lewis Wilson early on and Callum Earls on 25 minutes. Watford got one back just before half time, scoring twice in the second half, the first a defensive mix up as the Rushden keeper and defenders both went for the same ball, the winner a brilliant volley - which neither defence or goalkeeper could do very much about.
The Football Conference Youth Alliance is an Under-19's League, and Watford certainly looked towards the older end of that spectrum, whilst the Diamonds Youth Team consisted mainly of the youngest.
Head of Youth Paul Driver said "That is exactly why we've gone in that league, because it will provide bigger, stronger and more physical opposition to the players than you will get in the Puma Youth Alliance, that side we faced today were bigger and stronger than anything in the Puma Youth Alliance. That's why we've put them in there to see how quickly they learn and understand what to do - so they can cope better with men's football in one or two years time when they go into that. Today we didn't!
We've got ourselves a two goal lead, we had a couple of chances at 2-0 to extend it, not that we deserved to be 2-0 up. From then on we've made mistakes that have led to goals, mistakes, which we've got to learn not to make.
There were five fouls in our own half in the first half, one of which led to a goal just before half time which gets them back into it. Second half, two players going for the ball, the keeper comes for the ball, doesn't need to and they've got a tap in. For the last one we just didn't get near enough to their player.
Whether these players finish up progressing, as players will depend on how quickly they learn how to play in that league and therefore be able to step up into men's football. It was a young side; there were only two players out there who would play in those positions in a first choice youth line-up. It's the young players, the first years chance to show what they can do - today we didn't, we'll just see how quickly we learn from it."
