U23 | Waite: “Good learning curve for the players”
Cardiff City’s U23 Head Coach, Jarred Harvey gave his reaction following a competitive 3-2 defeat away to QPR on Monday, October 1st 2018.
“We didn’t start the game how we would’ve liked,” began Jarred. “After they scored their early penalty I thought we responded very well. We started to get on the front foot and dominate the ball – we were very good in certain areas of our game.
“The goals we conceded were quite poor and we could’ve defended better. There were some great opportunities that we could’ve taken and that proved to be costly. However that’s what happens and we’ll work to improve in those areas.
“When they enjoyed their share of possession, we were still creating opportunities so it’s a good effort from the players. They just need to work on taking those chances.
“Our players got the opportunity to play against some more experienced players in the QPR team. There were two First Team players and there were four players who’ve also got that experience. It was a challenge for us but I thought we dealt with that well overall.”
Pacey midfielder James Waite made his first U23 competitive appearance of the season in this contest and Harvey was delighted to see his return.
“It was nice to get James Waite back involved with the squad. He came off at half-time but it was good to see him get some game time. It’s important to get the minutes under his belt.”
Waite, himself, also shared his thoughts following a narrow defeat to the London based club.
“We played well through large periods of the game and were unlucky not to get a result. It was some mistakes which let us down for the goals but we’ll move on and learn from that.
“The game could’ve gone either way with the chances that both teams had. We had a few one-on-one opportunities which we could’ve changed the game had we taken them.
“I think the game was a good learning curve for the players. It’s great to come up against some First Team players. We’re really testing ourselves by playing against experienced footballers and giving them a game. It’s excellent for the whole team to be involved in a match against these kinds of players; despite the result.”
