Young Reflects On Brighton Draw & Season So Far
- Leicester City’s Development Squad drew with Brighton & Hove Albion in their final Premier League 2 fixture of 2023
- Goalkeeper Brad Young kept a clean sheet on the south coast, City’s first of the season
- The shot-stopper has made nine appearances for the Foxes youngsters this term
- He is looking forward to an improved showing after Christmas when PL2 resumes
City’s youngsters ended the calendar year with a goalless draw away to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, with Young helping to preserve a first clean sheet of the Premier League 2 campaign at AMEX Elite Football Performance Centre.
Reflecting on the game, which moves Leicester onto eight points from their opening nine matches, the Foxes shot-stopper said: “It was a positive result, especially at a place like Brighton, against a very well-drilled team with good quality. We had the better opportunities and were unfortunate not to come away with a win.
“Defensively we were very solid, and it just shows how much we’ve improved, especially over the last few months. Getting the clean sheet and really taking the game to them and making them defend.
“We defend from the front, so it starts with the forwards. We were aggressive in the press, which limited them getting into our final third. But when they did, we were solid and the clean sheet is always good to come out with from a game, especially as a goalkeeper.”
Looking back on the whole campaign so far, the 21-year-old pointed to invaluable experiences in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, as well as identifying areas of improvement for the remainder of their PL2 fixtures.
City currently sit 22nd in the 26-team league, but with the likes of Sammy Braybrooke, Oli Ewing, Will Alves, Wanya Marçal and Iestyn Hughes all to return in the New Year, there is cause for optimism.
“It’s been a mixed bag,” Young continued. “We’ve had some positive results like the 1-0 win against Tranmere in the EFL Trophy, that was really positive. They are great games to be part of.
“You are testing yourself against teams in League 1 or League 2. They are at a good level so that’s where you want to get to. The games don’t always go your way but it’s a great experience to come out of.
“We’ve shown glimpses of being a really good side, but I suppose that only makes us more excited going into the back half of the season and where can we get to. We’ve just got to take this positive momentum that we’ve been building the past few weeks and move that into January and the months to come.
“We’ve got five or six lads coming back who will really strengthen the side, which is brilliant. It’s great for lads to go up to the First Team and get that experience and when they come back with us, it really shows. They are a lot more confident and it has a positive impact on all of us, not just them. It should be good when lads come back into the team.”