Richard Walker is hoping his young players will use their experiences taken from last season’s FA Youth Cup disappointment as fuel for Monday’s clash at AFC Wimbledon.
Wolves under-18s begin their campaign in the prestigious youth competition with a third round tie under the lights at Plough Lane. This time last year, the Old Gold faced heartbreak following a penalty shootout defeat to Queens Park Rangers after a rollercoaster encounter at Molineux which ended in a 2-2 draw.
12 months on, Walker is expecting that experience to benefit the group this time around as they look to progress into the fourth round, but the head coach says he is fully aware of the test the Dons will pose.
On Monday’s tie
“It’s at Plough Lane on their pitch, their stadium, under the lights. It’s always a great opportunity (the Youth Cup) for the lads to play in an environment that's more akin to the first team setting that they all hope to embark on at some stage in the career.
“It’ll be a tough encounter, but one we’re looking forward to.”
On AFC Wimbledon
“It was an epic battle last year with QPR. It was a good, entertaining game. I
think Wimbledon will also offer a significant test.
“They’re used to winning games and are effectively top of their league in terms of winning the majority of their games. They’re third only by the fact that they've got two or three games in hand on those above them.
“A few of their players have been around the first team squad, so they’re certainly no mugs. They’re well coached, well organised and have played together a lot.
“They’ll offer a test, but a test I'm pretty sure that our boys are relishing taking on.”
On sticking to their principles
“I don't think we deviate too much from what we do in any game, regardless of the opposition. Our principles remain the same and I think that bodes well that there's consistent principles throughout every training session and throughout every game.
“There'll be odd tweaks here and there, in terms of the way the opposition set up, in terms of the personnel we've got and how we can best exploit the strengths we've got in the side.
“We've got to make sure we have the utmost respect for the opposition, because if we don't, they are capable of hurting us.”
On seeing progression from last season
“There'll be a lot of players that played in last year's Youth Cup, but also the Premier League Cup final that had a similar sort of feel to it, in terms of being on the Molineux and under the lights.
“There'll be lots of lads who've got those experiences, but also a lot of lads who’ve played in stadium football with the under-21s.
“I'm expecting probably a little bit more composure, a bit more understanding of what football entails. The main thing we want is for the players to utilise the experience of the Youth Cup in general, to kick them on in their careers.”
On the group as a whole
“We've got to make sure that we're creating good people in order for them to be good footballers.
“I believe we've got plenty of good lads who are hungry and got an appetite to work, be that in the gym, be that in education, and be that on the training pitch.
“I think we've seen that generally in the league campaign – there have been good results and we go into the tie fourth in the table with two games in hand on those above.
“I think we've seen good progression, good steady progression amongst the group, and that's ultimately what it's about.”
