Newport County assistant manager Dafydd Williams has praised West Ham United Under-21s for their performance in the EFL Trophy game against his side.
On Tuesday, West Ham Under-21s side took on League Two outfit Newport at Rodney Parade in an EFL Trophy fixture.
However, West Ham’s youngsters failed to secure a win as a late strike by Oliver Greaves helped Newport seal all three points.
Williams revealed that before the game, the Newport coaching staff told the players to see the match against West Ham’s youngsters as a test for the challenges ahead.
And Williams believes that Mark Robson’s side deserve respect for the way they handled themselves and put in a brilliant performance against his side.
When asked whether the game against West Ham Under 21s was a good challenge for his side ahead of the game against Barrow, Williams told Newport’s in-house media: “Yes, definitely.
“We said to the boys before the game, we need to use that game [against West Ham Under-21s] as a stepping stone for Barrow effectively.
“By winning the game, you give yourself a great chance then of going into that in a much more positive frame of mind.
“We have done that, so yes, Barrow will be a totally different challenge, but credit to West Ham.
“They are a young side and I thought they played themselves brilliantly well.”
Robson’s side will need to dust themselves down from their defeat against Newport as they will take on Newcastle Under-21s in the Premier League 2 on Friday.
