Mark Delaney admits his side lacked a cutting edge in the final third on Friday, as his Aston Villa Under-23s lost 2-1 to Reading Under-23s at Bodymoor Heath.
The game was a largely cagey one, with neither side creating many clear-cut opportunities in front of goal. But Villa were left to rue what Delaney described as two 'sloppy' goals conceded, which made things that bit more difficult.
“Really disappointed," Delaney said when asked for his immediate reflection on the game.
"Frustrated.
"I didn’t think there was much in the game.
"Both ‘keepers didn’t have much to do.
We had the lion’s share of possession but lacked that cutting edge in the final third.
But we gave a sloppy goal away following a short corner, and then a sloppy penalty having got back into the game."
Despite winning comfortably last week, Delaney was left to feel disappointed that his side couldn't carry that momentum through to Friday.
“Off the back of a 3-0 win against Norwich we wanted to gain a bit of momentum" he said.
"We didn’t get going, they frustrated us.
"We tried to up it in the second half, but conceded a goal which knocked us back.
"We stuck at it at 1-0 down and got back into the game.
"At that point, I thought we could go on and win it.
"When you give goals away like that, you’re not going to win many games."
While the defeat was a hugely frustrating one, Delaney insists the mindset inside the dressing room suggests wins will come.
“There were points in the game today where we thought we could go on and win it" Delaney claimed.
"The lads are gutted in the dressing room.
"The reaction to get back into the game shows good mentality.”
