We Know We Can Beat Teams, Says Clark

Development Squad
15 Sep 2020
2 Minutes
Leicester City's Development Squad have benefitted from a positive pre-season, including the introduction of several younger players, says full-back Mitch Clark.

- Goalscorer Mitch Clark reflects on a 2-0 win over Manchester United for Leicester City's Development Squad
- The 21-year-old full-back hit a brilliant 25-yard strike to confirm the victory at Leigh Sports Village
- City's youngsters have now won both of their games so far, in the EFL Trophy and Premier League 2
- Clark has been enthused by Leicester's start to the new season and the introduction of younger players

Following last Tuesday's 2-1 victory at Hull City in the EFL Trophy group stage, City's Under-23s made it two from two in 2020/21 with a 2-0 success at Manchester United on Monday.

Already top of the early Premier League 2 Division 1 standings - after goals from Ali Reghba and a stunner from Clark himself - the former Aston Villa full-back is encouraged by their start.

"The players are buzzing, obviously," the young full-back told LCFC TV at full-time at Leigh Sports Village. "From last season, the team's changed quite a bit.

"The young lads have come in, there's still a few older players, but we've gelled as a team through pre-season. [The younger players] been excellent all the way through pre-season.

Obviously, they had quite big shoes to fill with some of the players that aren’t here, but they've all stepped up to the mark and showed why they should be in the starting XI.

"We've had a good pre-season and the game today has gone exactly the way we planned.

"You saw at Hull, we beat another league opposition. We obviously know that we can beat teams because we're so physical, so direct, we just run over teams and it pays off for us."

City's youngsters finished second in last season's Premier League 2 - decided by a points-per-game system after being curtailed due to COVID-19 - and Clark is confident of another run.

"Obviously, with four games to go and the season getting cut short, we would obviously had fancied our chances last season to win the league," he added. "We reckon we could go again.

"A few of the boys got a bit angry at half-time, after coming in at 0-0. We had quite a lot of chances. We thought we should've been quite a few up, but we were patient, and it paid off."

Clark's goal - his first for the Foxes - was a moment of brilliance as the 21-year-old charged forwards before sending a fearsome drive beyond United 'keeper Ondrej Mastny.

"I haven’t scored in a while!" he laughed. "I had a shot in the first half that I should have hit the target, and then when I came in on my right I just thought to myself: why not?"