Ruth: Youngsters did club proud in Aldershot win

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Our men's under-21s beat Aldershot in the National League Cup on Tuesday night.

Charlie Hanson

2024-11-06T15:00+00:00

Charlie Penman celebrates with Caylan Vickers after taking a last minute lead. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Albion under-21s head coach Shannon Ruth has lauded his team’s performance in their 3-2 win at Aldershot Town in the National League Cup.

The visitors played all but five minutes of the game with ten men following Joe Knight’s early sending off, but showed their grit as they came from behind to snatch victory in second-half stoppage time.

“It's an incredible shift from the players, to play like that after going down to ten men that early,” Ruth said. “There were a lot of young players on the pitch and I thought they managed themselves through the game and showed what they were capable of – incredible courage.

“I am really pleased with how we performed to get ourselves to half-time with the score still level. I always felt we were a threat if we could stay in the game. Then in the second half there were a lot of players doing their utmost to help the team.

Caylan Vickers and Josh Duffus were both on the scoresheet in the victory. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

“What we showed is that we've not only got talented players, but we’ve got ones with a lot of personality too – players that are trying to learn how to become the best professionals they can be. There are loads of ingredients in that team performance that will serve them well in their professional careers.

“They had to graft to hang on and had to show quality in important moments. I'm really proud of the team.”

Ruth believes that the personality they showed is just as important as any tactics or ideas.

“The biggest compliment I think someone could pay me about the team is to say that we don’t play like an under-21s team.

“We have talented young players, but to be a professional footballer at the highest level, you need personality. And you need an incredible mentality to do more than anybody else.

The players embrace after securing an unlikely win. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

“The team had the quality against Aldershot that we're after, but they have bags of personality too.

“That's ultimately what underpins the foundations of your team. A style, a way of playing, is just an idea – it's the personalities of the team that bring the idea to life. And the team (against Aldershot) represented themselves, our academy and the club really well.”

The result puts Albion second in Group A of the National League Cup, sitting on five points. The top two from each eight-team group will progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

Albion’s next game in the competition sees them face Maidenhead United on Wednesday 4 December, kick-off 7.30pm.