Henry Newman said that he was pleased with the performance that his side put in against Cheltenham in their League Cup quarter-final despite being defeated by a late goal in a 2-1 loss.

Speaking to the club’s official website since the game, the Academy Manager said:

“We played some absolutely fantastic football and defended ever so well as well. It was just one of those where they have caught us and hit us on the break with two or three minutes to go to make it 2-1.

“Speaking with Russell, their Academy Manager who I know very well, he was very complimentary about how we played and was almost a bit embarrassed to come away with the win.”

Having netted a few late winners of their own this season, Newman believes that it might just do his side good to be on the receiving end this time around:

“The one thing you can guarantee in your career as a professional footballer is that you will win games with late goals and you will lose games with late goals, that is just an inevitable fact of the game.

“We’ve been fortunate so far this season to be on the beneficial end of some of those late winners but the most important thing throughout has been that when we have got those late goals it has been because we have been playing well, not just because we have sneaked a win.

“That’s not what we are looking to do. We are looking to play football with the principles that we expect and if we can win the game as a result of that then fantastic.

“It’s never nice to lose but it is a good experience for the boys and hopefully they will be in a situation where they don’t want to experience that again.”

Barnet’s attention now turns to the league – where they lead their division by four points – as well as the FA Youth Cup, with the Bees due to take on Fisher FC in the third qualifying round next Wednesday at Champion Hill at 19:45.

And discussing their progress in both competitions, Newman is still full of optimism for what lies ahead between now and the end of the season:

“The Youth Cup is a very prestigious tournament with years and years of history. It is something that perhaps during the last few years the club have struggled in so it is something that we are prioritising this year. The league and the Youth Cup is where we have set our goals.

“We are top of the league, there are one or two games with a few games in hand on us but I would always rather have the points in the bag than be chasing somebody at the top and I’m confident that on Saturday away at Cambridge we can set things straight a little bit and get back to winning ways.”

Watch the full interview with Henry Newman here: