Charlton's U16s claimed a 3-0 win against Mount Pleasant U17s in a behind-closed-doors clash at The Valley on Tuesday night.
Through the club's partnership with the leading Jamaican academy, the U21s enjoyed a tough pre-season out in the Caribbean during the summer and in return Mount Pleasant's U17s have embarked on a trip to London.
Youth Development Phase Lead Coach Kieran Culleton said: “I loved the boys’ performance, I loved the application right from the start. We had a real bite about us and a hunger to hunt the ball down and win it back. We showed the quality that we have got not just individually, but as a team as well.
"There was a big focus on moving the ball quickly and not allowing them to press. The boys showed a level of maturity to weather the storm in the first part of the game as I felt Mount Pleasant were on top.
“Once Raynon Richman scored our first goal on the break, we settled down and started to be more dominant and grew into the game towards the end of the first half.”
Culleton highlighted the importance of exposing the players to different footballing cultures.
“The test that the Mount Pleasant boys gave us was invaluable really," he explained. "What we've been speaking about a lot lately is tidying up a few key areas around our principles and how we want to play. First things first we want to make sure that we\re combining and playing much quicker, especially in the final third, and being more aggressive when we're higher up the pitch. If we do lose possession, we win it back quickly and sustain an attack.
“There were four or five dangerous counter attacks that we gave up through our poor decision-making. They had so much speed on the break which caused us a lot of problems and it tested the boys to recover and get back in - running 60-80 yards sometimes.
"Dan Mahoney and his analysis team did a fantastic job of showing us clips of the boys at half-time around how we need to defend higher and be more aggressive with our backline. That was such an important lesson for the boys. Sometimes you want them to fail and get it wrong so they can learn from it. We're all really pleased with how well they applied that information from half-time into the second half and were dominant. They dealt with Mount Pleasant’s transition and counter attack much better.”
The fixture provided a fantastic occasion for both teams under the lights at The Valley and Culleton admitted there was something different about Tuesday’s game.
“The experience for the boys was great. Four of the boys were fortunate enough to be in the U16s group last year that played in the final at The Valley. To be fair a few have played in Valley Gold tournaments here, so they've had that exposure. It felt different tonight, with it being under the lights against a foreign team, it had a bit of an edge to it. There was a glint in the eyes from the boys when they went out onto the pitch.
"We also had four U15s player on the bench as well and they got 30 minutes each. It’s a great opportunity for a nice moment, but also something that can hopefully give them that little bit of inspiration to be playing in front of fans week in, week out.”
The club were delighted to announce the partnership with Mount Pleasant back in January, with the long-term aim of further improving the quantity of elite talent graduating through the club’s esteemed academy.
“The partnership seems to be a really strong one," Culleton said. "It’s the first time that I've met the players and staff, and everyone was incredibly polite, respectful, humble and hardworking. It was a pleasure to share the pitch with them and host them this week. Hopefully everyone is benefitting from it. For our boys it provided us with a fantastic test that was important for their development. We like to have as much variety and challenge in our games programme.
“Their quality was really good. I loved their physicality and energy, especially in transition and on the counter attack. I thought they were excellent. They moved the ball well and managed it well - it was a really tough test.”
Charlton fans can support the academy by signing up to the Valley Gold scheme. Valley Gold enables fans to support the club’s academy in unearthing the talents of tomorrow, as well as giving them the chance to win cash prizes.
Click here for more information on how you can become a Valley Gold member.
