Oldham Athletic’s Head of Youth Tony Philliskirk praised his battling U18 side as they defeated Accrington Stanley 2-0 in the first round of the FA Youth Cup.
Philliskirk who was forced to field a patched-up side missing five regulars, was delighted by his team.
“Under the circumstances, I was pleased how we played and thought we were always comfortable and shaded the game,” he said.
“Had we taken more care of the ball in the final third of the pitch, we could have had more goals.
“We were let down by the final pass or cross.”
Philliskirk now expects a tough second round clash with Coventry City.
“It will be a tough ask but, hopefully by then, we will have one or two of our regulars back,” he concluded.
One of those to return to the Latics ranks is likely to be Wales U17 defender Tomos Clarke, who missed Friday’s fixture due to international duty.
He endured a doubly frustrating day as not only did he miss the FA Youth Cup clash, but Wales under-17’s European qualifier in Estonia was abandoned after 26 minutes today through heavy snow.
Centre-back Clarke started the game for the Welsh who were 1-0 up when the game was stopped.
