McSweeney: U21s Hungry For More

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McSweeney: U21s Hungry For More

Leon McSweeney sees our Premier League 2 Play-Off defeat as one to learn from as our youngsters were edged out by Tottenham Hotspur.

2026-05-10T07:30+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

10 May, 2026

McSweeney: U21s Hungry For More

Leon McSweeney sees our Premier League 2 Play-Off defeat as one to learn from as our youngsters were edged out by Tottenham Hotspur.

Sam Jones

2026-05-10T07:30+01:00

McSweeney: U21s Hungry For More

Leon McSweeney sees our Premier League 2 Play-Off defeat as one to learn from as our youngsters were edged out by Tottenham Hotspur.

Sam Jones

2026-05-10T07:30+01:00

McSweeney: U21s Hungry For More

Leon McSweeney sees our Premier League 2 Play-Off defeat as one to learn from as our youngsters were edged out by Tottenham Hotspur.

Sam Jones

2026-05-10T07:30+01:00

McSweeney: U21s Hungry For More

Leon McSweeney sees our Premier League 2 Play-Off defeat as one to learn from as our youngsters were edged out by Tottenham Hotspur.

Sam Jones

2026-05-10T07:30+01:00

Our Under-21s were narrowly beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League 2 Play-Offs
The 1-0 defeat ended the youngsters’ season at the last-16 stage of the PL competition
Coach Leon McSweeney assessed the team’s display in Stevenage and the learning aspects

A 1-0 defeat to Spurs at Lamex Stadium, courtesy of Tynan Thompson’s goal, saw the Under-21s’ season come to a close at the last-16 stage of the play-offs, having finished ninth in the regular PL2 campaign.

You have to go back to October for the last time the young Foxes failed to score in a league fixture and City’s coach felt it was just one of those games where the ball wouldn’t go in.

“It was frustrating conceding the goal in the manner we did,” the 43-year-old reflected following full-time. “Probably again, this is a reflection of the season in terms of conceding sloppily and needlessly.

“I think for the first 20 minutes of the game, they started with a bit more energy, a bit more verve, being the home team, got their goal coming up to the half hour mark and then we took over the game after that, probably should have had a penalty and created several clear-cut chances in the first half to equalise.

“And then [in the] second half stepped it up again and they didn't have a shot, no shots on goal in the second half. We had 12 corners which shows the dominance that we had in the game. Unfortunately, we were just not able to convert one of our many chances.

“For such a free-scoring team, us not being able to convert was not something that would have been on my bingo card going into the game. I thought we would definitely score a goal, with the potential of conceding which we always have given the cavalier approach that we play with.

“But on this occasion, we just didn't have that killer instinct, that ruthlessness in front to goal to get back in the game when we were in the ascendency.”

Reaching this phase of the competition for the second successive season, it represents a missed opportunity in McSweeney’s eyes, but he was also complimentary of the squad’s efforts to get to this point once again.

“We all know football can be like that,” he continued. “You can have several chances and the ball just, for whatever reason, doesn't bounce right or go in the net and unfortunately for us when it gets to those knockout games, it's where the focus is probably really ramped up on those details of the game.

“But the lads have been excellent all season in terms of what we ask them to do and how they implement the game plans. They are full of energy, full of intensity and full of quality as well.

“It's a learning experience. It’s twice in two years now that we've got to the last-16, which is good, but we're always hungry for more. Southampton beat us last year and ended up going to the final. Tottenham have now progressed into the semi-final and it's certainly, again, a case of what might have been.”

Images: Tottenham Hotspur.

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