Disappointment for young Brewers as Vale have the edge in Pirelli Youth Cup clash

THERE is to be no heroic FA Youth Cup run for Burton Albion's under-18s this year after they were knocked out 1-0 at home by Port Vale on Tuesday night.

- By COLSTON CRAWFORD

The young Brewers never quite got to grips with their task and coach Shaun Barker did not mince his words when delivering a verdict on the performance.

"As you'd expect, we're down, disappointed, frustrated - all the things that go hand in hand when you haven’t turned up and performed on the night," said Barker.

"That's cup football. It's not about how the season’s been and how it will be moving forward, it’s about tonight and too many of our players just didn’t rise to the occasion.

"I can understand, it's 18s football and that’s the way it goes but they have to take a little bit of ownership and have a little bit of self-reflection, to look back at the game and say ‘what else could I have done?’

"I can’t fault the effort and the desire to compete, to run around and to work hard.

"But the quality and the bravery to play was lacking.

"I hoped that was what we would see after the first 10 minutes but we never really got going and I don’t think we deserved it on the night."

On the other hand, Barker admitted that the Vale youngsters did deserve their win - for all that neither side fully impressed.

“I thought both teams were scrappy and nervous in the first 10-15 minutes and, once the game was settled and the emotions and nervousness were gone, that we'd get the ball down and start to play but we never really had the detail, the ingenuity and the bravery to play different ways," said the former Derby County and Brewers centre-half.

"In the second half, we lacked the belief and confidence to actually outplay them.