Bolton Wanderers B team boss Matt Craddock was pleased with what he saw from his side in their first ever outing despite tasting late defeat against Atherton Collieries.
Wanderers' brand new B team played their first ever fixture last night after being formed over this summer. They travelled to the Skuna Stadium to take on non-league side Colls in a traditional pre-season fixture.
It was a fairly even encounter and it looked as though the spoils were going to be shared as full-time approached. However, a trialist netted for the hosts to secure a 1-0 win for Colls.
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Despite the late loss, Craddock believes it was a very worthwhile exercise and feels that if the late goal had not happened, the complexion of the game would be different. He feels it is a good lesson to learn for the club's young players and to taste playing in front of a crowd, which they need to get used to if they want to have a shot at first team football.
Wanderers took some time to get into the encounter, but showed moments of what they are capable of and could have gone in to half-time with a lead after Conor Carty went close from a free-kick. And he feels they held their own against a full men's team which will stand them in good stead going forwards.
He said: "I think if you take the last minute and a half out of the game, we are coming away with a completely different perception – we are coming away really pleased. We are trying not to focus on that little lapse of concentration.
"I think the good thing is it is a good lesson to learn. These lads want to go and play at first-team level and when you play against good players, you switch off for a second and you get punished for it, and that is what happened today.
"What I am really pleased with is they stuck together and worked hard. We talked about coming to a place like this – a really organised, hard-working team – we have to earn the right to play. I think we had our first five, 10 minutes where we had to fight our way into the game.
"Once we did get into the game, I think our quality started to show and we started showing some of the patterns we have been working on and some good bits of play. Probably with a little bit of luck, we might have gone in at half-time with a lead.
"It is fantastic for the boys. We have had a big build-up in pre-season waiting for this – the lads were really excited and the staff were really excited. We have all worked really hard for this moment. These are (the games) where they make a mistake and the crowd are on them, and that is something that they need to get used to.
" We need to provide as many experiences so that when they do step into a first-team environment, they can handle it and they know how to handle it. Today, they have come up against men. Good players, really well-organised. They have a really solid gameplan and are a very good side. I think we held our own for the majority of the game."
This was the first pre-season friendly for the club's new B team. Clashes against Bamber Bridge, Southport and Warrington Town will follow in the weeks to come.
Ultimately the objective of the B team is to create individuals for the first team set-up under Ian Evatt. But Craddock was pleased with the early signs that he saw and the relationships that will develop on the pitch with more game time.
He said: "That probably shows just how ambitious we are, that we are coming off here disappointed when really there are so many positives to come from it. I think when we sit and watch the game, we are going to see those things.
"We are here to develop individuals. It is not a team, but it is individuals to support the first team. I think when we look back at the clips, you are going to see some really good stuff from the individuals. That is really pleasing considering this is the first game they have played with each other.
"They don’t have those relationships like other teams that have been playing together for a season where they know what other people are thinking. This is brand new for these lads and for game number one, I think we are really pleased with it."
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