Shaun pleased with side after battling display
Shaun North praised his side’s resilience after Wimbledon Under-21s dug in for a draw against a Vietnam international team at Lilleshall yesterday.
It was a tough test for a young Dons side against a touring Vietnam Under-19 team that had beaten an Arsenal youth team 3-0 recently.
Wimbledon took the lead through a Chace Jacquart penalty, but their talented opponents hit back and it was 1-1 at half-time. The second-half was encouraging for the Dons as they scored a fine team goal and Tom Beere (pictured) returned to action after almost three months out with a knee injury.
Though Vietnam eventually earned a share of the spoils, Shaun North was pleased with his side’s performance and it was a young Dons side too as the squad contained no first-teamers and several from Mark Robinson’s Under-18s. Beere was instrumental in Wimbledon taking a 2-1 lead when he swung over a deep cross that was diverted by Callum Overton into the path of 16-year-old Dan Agyei, who maintained his recent hot streak with another goal.
Shaun said: “It was a very good game and enjoyable too. Vietnam often keep their youth teams together to prepare for senior level in terms of the Olympics and World Cup qualification. This was a good side that we were playing against because they beat Arsenal last week.
“Although we did not have a lot of possession, we had chances to nick a win. We had to defend for long spells and dig in. I was very pleased with it because they were much better than us.”