Professional development phase coach Frank Sinclair was delighted with his side’s performance in their 4-0 thrashing of Huddersfield Town as Rovers U18s registered their first win of the season in the EFL Youth Alliance League Cup.
Kenneth Imariagbe secured a brace in the first half to score his first competitive goals of the season before following successes came through Deshaun Musgrave-Dore and Will Green late on.
With the Rovers’ triumph in West Yorkshire, group three was blown wide open and the youth team manager hailed a job well done.
Sinclair said: “We’re all really pleased to get that first win under our belts, especially with it coming against Huddersfield because we knew that they’ve got some good players and that we were in for a tough game.
“We put in a really controlled performance and I think that we managed the second half especially well.
“We could’ve had more goals on the day but then you’re being greedy because they had their fair amount of chances too, but I was most pleased with the way we defended in one-on-one situations.
“They had some real tricky players so we spoke about that before the game and they all carried out their jobs excellently, both in and out of possession.”
In the midweek prior to the game, Imariagbe got on the scoresheet for Rovers U17s in the EFL Floodlit Cup and Sinclair thought the striker was starting to receive the rewards of his hard work on the training ground.
He added: “Kenneth’s coming along really nicely for us. He’s come into a totally new environment for himself coming over here and he’s really committed himself to our football club.
“There’s been massive changes for him this summer and because of that we were expecting him to take time to settle in but you can see on a day-to-day basis that everything is starting to come together for him.
“He’s confident and three goals in two games is testament to the work that he’s been putting in.
“He’s adapted well for us in different positions and we’re liking him up front with his pace, power and trickery because he’s causing the opposition some real problems."
Rovers U18s are back in league action this coming weekend as they face Huddersfield Town again but at the Hoober Homes Elite Performance Centre on Saturday, September 16.