Adam Birchall expressed his delight at his young side’s impressive first-half display as they secured their fourth consecutive victory with a 5-3 win away at Leicester on Saturday afternoon.
A hat-trick from Max Dowman, along with goals from Alex Marciniak and Brando Bailey-Joseph, helped the young Gunners take all three points.
Reflecting on the match, Birchall said:
“I was really pleased with the first-half performance. I thought the players showed a lot of control; we pressed aggressively and won the ball high up the pitch.
“I was disappointed to concede two goals from set-pieces, which made the second half more transitional. We lost a bit of control, and the game became more panicked from the players' perspective. It then became about staying calm and trying to regain that control. But overall, I’m happy with the performance.”
On Max Dowman’s hat-trick:
“We’re all incredibly proud of him. He’s currently playing under-18s football, but still has a lot of development ahead of him. It was a fantastic performance and a brilliant hat-trick.
“What really sums Max up is that he came off the pitch and was honest in the dressing room about areas we can improve as a team, as well as how he can develop individually. That level of humility and hunger to improve is a great sign in a young player – and that’s exactly what he showed today.”
On making it four wins in a row:
“It’s always difficult to judge under-18s football, as the opposition can vary in terms of their squad composition. Today, aside from Cam, we played with first-years and under-16s, with Max being an under-15.
“But what pleased me most was that first-half performance – the control we had, and the personality we showed without the ball. I’m a lot happier today than I was after the Fulham game.”
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