Ben Wilkinson expressed his satisfaction at a job well done by City’s Under 18s after Saturday’s 2-1 Under-18 Premier League Cup quarter-final win over West Ham – but insisted there was still room for improvement

Pitted against a talented West Ham side at the CFA, City raced out of the blocks, marching into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes thanks to goals from Michael Okeke and Ashton Muir.

However, despite carving out a glut of chances we failed to add to our lead – and then had to withstand a tense last five minutes or so after the Hammers struck on 90 minutes through substitute Mehmet Halim.

Reflecting on the win, head coach Wilkinson said there was much to admire from his side’s display – but still plenty to work on too.

“If we remove that last five minutes, I think overall we can be really pleased with the performance,” Wilkinson declared.

“I thought we showed some real good quality, and the only disappointment was that we didn’t kill the game off earlier after going 2-0 up.

“We had enough opportunities but when you concede a late goal that presents you with the last five minutes.

“It was a pleasing performance but there is a room for improvement.

“We’ve put ourselves in a reasonable position and now we have got another semi-final to look forward to.”

Play the video to watch Wilkinson’s interview in full…