JACOB Bell has praised his sides ability to adapt and manage games after the U-18’s 3-1 away win against Port Vale.
The squad was rotated after the academy’s FA Youth Cup victory on Wednesday night with four U-16’s coming into the team and Bell was impressed with their contribution.
He said; “It was a tough place to come away from home and play with a fully rotated squad who aren’t used to playing together. We played really well and ground out a result in tough conditions.
“We handled the game well and slowed it down when we needed to, and we managed the game well”.
It was a very wet afternoon in Stoke and Bell spoke of how that impacted the game, he said; “We had to be up for the game and be more aggressive at times.
“We had to deal with conditions, it’s part of the game and we were prepared for it”.
The young Shrews fell behind in the game and Bell was proud of how his team reacted, he said; “Conceding early meant we had to react in a positive manner. As a team, we had the right reaction and I’m happy because it gave us a chance to go and win the game later on as a team”.
This was the team’s first league away win of the season and Bell said; “It will give us momentum going into the next game and hopefully we can build a streak now”.