MILLWALL under-18 joint boss Larry McAvoy was proud of the side’s performance against “one of the best sides in Europe” after the young Lions were cruelly knocked out of the FA Youth Cup on Monday night.
Billy Mitchell gave the Lions the lead with a 30-yard rocket in the first half and they held that advantage until deep into injury-time before Tottenham’s J’Neil Bennett scuffed in from a corner.
Spurs scored in extra-time through Rodel Richards to send McAvoy and Chris Perry’s side out.
“It was a massive effort, two hours of football against one of the best sides in Europe, a side that beat Barcelona 2-0 the other night,” McAvoy said.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game. But we’re really proud of the players. We restricted them to not many chances. We had the better chances on the night and needed that second goal to kill the game off.
“It was a bit surprising there were six minutes of injury-time and then there was a succession of corners that we couldn’t quite deal with.
“It was a tough one to take, but the boys had to dig in and go for another half hour in extra-time and they did.
“We conceded in the first period but finished the game a lot stronger and had chances late on. I’m just really, really proud of the boys. It was a big performance.”
Image: Millwall FC