Martin Allen praises the performance of his younger players after good display against Burton Albion
Martin Allen said he thought his young side put in a fantastic performance against Burton Albion, despite suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat at the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Six players got their Football League debuts during the club’s final game of the season, and the Manager said he was pleased for the players having put them through a rigorous training regime over the past few months.
Speaking after the game he said: “I thought the players played fantastically well. 3-2 with six football league debuts being made today which is very special for our football club.
“17 and 18 year olds were playing but you have seen the spirit amongst all the players, squad and the supporters and I’m absolutely chuffed to bits with the younger lads.
“I thought the senior players in our squad who were on the bench for our last game who all played today did fantastically well, and after winning the Championship it’s hard to get going again, but they got going and I thought they were fantastic.
“We have been terrific home and away and the secret has been the spirit of our players, staff and supporters to help each other, support each other and look after each other which was here in abundance today.
“Even though we have gone down we have gone down with a hell of a fight and we played three at the back trying to win the game at the end.
“That’s the kind of commitment, passion and togetherness that we have got on and off the field – that’s the secret.
“When we won it last week we had been promoted for three weeks, and the last time I was stood here I think it was this time last year when a goal in the second half kept Barnet in the Football League.
“Last year was a day of joy, and this year is a day of joy aswell. I can take the score and the performances of our younger players and I had total belief they could play well and there was no doubts in my mind that they can compete.
“I think you have seen the future players who will do the shirt and our club proud.”
Martin praised the Chairman for his backing throughout the campaign and said the younger players have responded when first team squad members have suffered with injury or gone back to parent clubs.
He added: “We’ve had good backing from Mr. Scally – no one can deny that. Over the last couple of players we have lost quite a few good players withy players going back to their clubs and a cruciate knee ligament injury to one of our key midfielders.
“The young players have stepped up – I have trained them extremely hard over the last four or five months. I don’t think they like me for most of the time but running up and down hills in freezing cold days in the winter, that was testing not only mentally but physically.
“This is the reward and I am absolutely delighted to be able to do it for all of those young players and their families and I hope all of our supporters go home and say it was a good day out.
“I have worked with them myself, I haven’t just left them. Darren Hare and Mark Patterson have done their jobs – John Schofield and I worked Thursday afternoon on the technical stuff to give them belief, power, strength and they have deserved this opportunity.
“I knew they were going to go on – the other ones that didn’t get on have done really well today and they were difficult decisions because all of the young ones have done well.”