Goalkeeper Nathan Harker says Tuesday night’s 4-0 Checkatrade Trophy defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light was an “eye-opener” for the club’s Under-21s.
“For 45 minutes, we really held our own and showed we were capable of that standard,” said the 20-year-old.
“But I think the second half was an eye-opener of the standard we need to get to.
“We should be proud of ourselves – two sloppy goals in the first couple of minutes of the second half have cost us, really – but we have to realise that we’ve done a lot better than anyone gave us a chance to do in this competition.
“I think we did really well to stay in the game in the first half.”