Head of Academy coaching Andy McMillan was gutted for the Notts County youth team as they suffered FA Youth Cup disappointment against Peterborough United on Tuesday night.
The game had looked set to go to penalties following Reece Fyfe’s equaliser late into extra time but Posh struck again in the dying seconds to book their place in the second round.
McMillan had already started preparing for the shoot-out when the visitors delivered the decisive blow.
He told Magpie Player: “It was great seeing all the lads going over there once Reco had scored and it was a great finish.
“I thought that was it and I had my pad out writing down names for the penalties.
“To concede within 10 seconds of the final whistle was disappointing but I think Peterborough deserve a lot of credit.”
Despite the loss, McMillan drew positives from the scoreline, having witnessed the Under-18s get beaten 3-0 by Posh during pre-season.
He continued: “It’s showing that we’ve progressed, as in pre-season these guys absolutely battered us and I thought we gave them more of a game.
“It shows how much we’ve been able to get into their heads that hard work is just the basic criteria for this game.
“You need to work hard for each other, shut people down and keep the ball, which is incredibly hard work as well.
“At times we were sloppy in possession and at times we attempted to force play.
“It’s a learning curve for our boys and hopefully they’ll take something from it.”
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