Written by Mitchell Bray:
Never felt so proud after a 3-0 defeat.
Last nights defeat against Portsmouth was a game to reflect upon with pride. Never in my life after watching Blues would I ever have imagined saying that. Our young fledglings were simply brave, confident and highly skilled. Pompey were just physically stronger – that was the difference.
Pep Clotet used this game to show us, the fans, exactly what this club is now about. Admit it, I will, I have been very sceptical as to this new era for our club by playing better football, but watching these young players made me realise what gems we have within our ranks.
Bellingham and Seddon caught the eye along with Crowley who again impressed. My feeling is that if these young guns can survive the physical demands this season of the brutal Championship then the next few seasons should be a joy to watch at St. Andrews.
Fair play to Clotet for not taking the easy option of ‘protecting’ them with the likes of Dean and Roberts, but instead, letting them look after each other which they did bravely. Pep no doubt must have winced a few times when tackles flew in from both sides. Sometimes it takes a period of time for the penny to drop and for me it did last night.
Buying into this new policy regarding youth and fast-tracking them into the first team squad I can now understand. We have an abundance of very talented players in many positions and to let this by-pass by signing older established ones would be wasteful. The future must excite the likes of Pep and Craig Gardner as they know what they can achieve and last night they showed us exactly what the club has at their disposal. Portsmouth defeat by three clear goals at any other time would have spelt disaster but last night, in my opinion, was a glorious night showing what a bright future my club can look forward to.