Rusk on squad effort in U21s' West Brom draw
Southampton Under-21s Head Coach Simon Rusk saw the value in giving game time to players in his squad after his side’s 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League Cup on Friday evening.
Saints held a 2-1 lead after a 79th minute penalty from Princewill Ehibhatiomhan and, despite seeing his side pegged back by a stoppage-time equaliser, Rusk saw the positives of handing out opportunities to impress.
“It was a good, interesting night for us. It was good to see some different faces starting the game and obviously we have got a few injuries after the international break as well." he said.
"I think the cup is a good opportunity for us to give some people game time who haven’t necessarily had that game time this year."
“We were okay. We weren’t at our best for certain. There were some good moments and some moments where we didn’t quite do well enough on.”
The game itself proved to be a tight affair, with both sides having strong spells of control in the game.
Looking back on the performance of his side after seeing them claim an unbeaten start in the Premier League Cup, Rusk explained how his players would be learning and developing from all parts of the contest.
He said: “We aim to dominate games, but your opponent does as well at times and you’ve got to find a way to come out on top in these battles.
“We were probably a bit disappointed with our set-piece performance as a team, so that is something that we need to look at and focus on. There were some positives as well, and it is all learning.”
Saints were also active during the final days of the transfer window and made some significant additions to the Under-21s setup, with each of Samuel Tabares, Noel Buck, Baylee Dipepa and Rory MacLeod joining the club.
Rusk handed debuts to three of his new players at the ARMCO Arena, and was also quick to note the importance of players stepping up to join his group from the Under-18s.
He said: “I think we just lacked a bit of depth and that will help us in training and with the lads pushing each other with the increase in competition.
“There were some good debuts tonight. It was good for Sam [Tabares] and Noel [Buck], and also for Baylee [Dipepa] coming into the game which was pleasing.
"Rory [MacLeod] couldn’t be involved tonight, but we had Sufianu [Sillah-Dibaga] who stepped up from the Under-18s to perform with us.
“We are a fairly young group tonight, we had Jay [Robinson] who is still a scholar, doing really well. Like every game, if we win convincingly we are not going to think we are the finished article and there are definitely moments that we want to improve on.”
