Barry Robson believes Aberdeen’s young guns will learn from the experience of a testing 2-0 SPFL Trust Trophy defeat at Highland League leaders Brora Rangers.
The young Reds fell to a 2-0 defeat, downed by late goals from Jordan MacRae and Andy Macrae.
A harsh-looking red card saw first-team contender Jack Milne sent off for a hotly disputed last man challenge in the closing moments.
Robson was upset by some of the decisions, but the focus was very much on the efforts of his young group at full-time.
He said: “I thought we performed well.
“When we came here last year, we were predominantly under-19 players. Tonight, we had four under-17s, so I was pleased – it was the youngest B team you’ll ever see (in this cup).
“Had young Alfie Bavidge taken his chance in the first half, we would have come in at the break 1-0 up and maybe controlled the game. We countered well and we pressed well.
“We could have maybe created a couple more chances, but I felt we were in control of the game.
“After that, coming down the hill with the wind (in the second half), they made changes and they came forward and we had long balls we had to deal with. We just ran out of steam in the end.”
Robson also felt for his young team to face experienced men will stand them in good stead going forward.
He added: “The biggest thing in the game now is the physical presence of teams. We are agile and quick and we press and can be aggressive as well.
“But, as the game goes on, the size, the know-how, the nous of the older players takes over.
“Brora tested us with long balls and out balls into channels and you have to learn to deal with it. It’s not easy at that age to deal with that physicality.”
Full-time at Dudgeon Park
Brora Rangers 2-0 Aberdeen B
We will now face Hearts B or Buckie Thistle in the next round! pic.twitter.com/KQtoBbrF0G
— Brora Rangers (@brorarangers) August 9, 2022
Brora boss Craig Campbell, meanwhile, was thrilled to get through, but appreciated his beaten opponents’ quality.
He said: “We were allowed to make five substitutions, which made a huge difference. It gave us an opportunity to freshen things up and the subs made an impact.
“For example, there was a little bit of quality from Ross Gunn who put the ball into the box for a good header from Jordan MacRae.
“Aberdeen obviously have got quality and they have got bite about them, but I don’t think it was a dirty game. The referee (Ross Hardie) was maybe a bit quick to bring out his cards at times and it was a harsh red card at the end.
“I was impressed by the way they set about their business and they made it competitive until late on.”
Brora will face the winners of Wednesday’s Hearts B v Buckie Thistle game, with that game set for August 23 or 24.
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