Good Progression As A Group, Says Barradell

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Good Progression As A Group, Says Barradell

Currently performing well with a young squad, coach Adam Barradell believes our Under-18s can step it up another gear to end the season on a high.

2026-02-21T11:00+00:00

by Matthew Temple

Published

21 Feb, 2026

Good Progression As A Group, Says Barradell

Currently performing well with a young squad, coach Adam Barradell believes our Under-18s can step it up another gear to end the season on a high.

Matthew Temple

2026-02-21T11:00+00:00

Good Progression As A Group, Says Barradell

Currently performing well with a young squad, coach Adam Barradell believes our Under-18s can step it up another gear to end the season on a high.

Matthew Temple

2026-02-21T11:00+00:00

Good Progression As A Group, Says Barradell

Currently performing well with a young squad, coach Adam Barradell believes our Under-18s can step it up another gear to end the season on a high.

Matthew Temple

2026-02-21T11:00+00:00

Good Progression As A Group, Says Barradell

Currently performing well with a young squad, coach Adam Barradell believes our Under-18s can step it up another gear to end the season on a high.

Matthew Temple

2026-02-21T11:00+00:00

Sat seventh out of 15 in Under-18 Premier League South, the young Foxes have won as many as they have lost, and despite going five games without a win, have remained competitive in each fixture.

That edge to remain in games is crucial to the coach, who shared an update on the progress of the Under-18s as we head into the business end of the season.

“We’ve made good progression as a group,” says Barradell. “You’ve seen Lorenz Hutchinson make moves up to the Under-21s, and his goalscoring record has earned him opportunities, along with other scholars.

“It’s good to see Leon [McSweeney] pick the lads that are performing well, and that has enabled other lads to come through the ranks into our squad.

“What I’m pleased with as a group is that we’re still really competitive because there is always a challenge that when you push lads through during the season that it becomes difficult.

The coach shared an update on the progress of the Under-18s.

“There’s been some mixed performances and results, but the games have always been really close. We just need to refine our quality in both boxes and then we’ll continue to do well.”

Talking in more detail on the recent performances, Barradell understands it can happen in tight games that a result could fall either way.

Analysing matches where this has been this case, he believes it is all good learning for a squad that are settling into Under-18s football, with some of the high performing players moving up to the Development Squad.

He added: “I look at the Arsenal fixture, I know that went our way, we scored a last-minute goal to win, and then Saturday (against West Ham United), we had plenty of chances to win the game and we lose it.

“In football, that can be the case. I always say if you’re winning too many games, then it’s not challenging enough for the players, and you’re not moving them on quick enough.

“But if you’re losing too many consistently then it’s based on the group not being competitive and moving players on too soon.

Crystal Palace are next to face the young Foxes.

“We’ve got it spot on with the Under-18s this year where we’re competitive and every game is a good test for us.

“We’re on that line where we could win, lose or draw and for the rest of the season we want to keep getting the points to push higher up the table.”

Up next for City is a home fixture against third-placed Crystal Palace on Saturday morning (11am GMT kick-off), and Barradell expects another tough test for the youngsters, who will need to be at the top of their game to register a first win since January.

“Crystal Palace is always a good test,” the coach explained. “They transition well and defend well at the top of the pitch, so we’ll need to be good defensively.

“When we’ve got the ball, we need to make sure our setup is right so that we don’t get hit on the counter.

“It’ll be a physical game; they’re playing well. Hopefully it will be a good game and performance for us, and the main thing is that we want to be competitive.”

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