Interviews

Ruth: We will need to show aggression against MK Dons

Our men's under-21s head to Stadium MK on Tuesday for their round of 32 tie.

By Richie Mills • 05 December 2023

By Simon Roe
Shannon Ruth's team were beaten 3-0 by Fulham in Premier League 2 on Friday.

Men's under-21s boss Shannon Ruth says his side need to show more aggression off the ball when they take on MK Dons in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.

Albion head into the last-32 clash off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Fulham in Premier League 2 on Friday. Ruth's team were without several key players for the loss at Motspur Park, with some absent after travelling back from Greece following the first-team's 1-0 Europa League win over AEK Athens on Thursday.

However, with the return of some key personnel, Ruth hopes they can up their game against the League Two outfit in Milton Keynes.

By Simon Davies
Joe Knight made his Premier League 2 debut against Fulham last week.

"We will try to recover between now and then. The congestion of the week is what probably hurt us on Friday. Ronnie Gorman came on as a first-year scholar; it was really good to see him on the pitch. Joe Knight played on Thursday [in the FA Youth Cup] and then again on Friday," he said.

"We have reviewed the Fulham game. The main area to try and impact will be the intensity and physicality we bring to the game to ensure we compete in duels and come out with more second balls.

"A Brighton team will always have good spells on the ball and a fair amount of it, but we have to ensure for all the attention and care and focus we have when on the ball, we need to add a bit more aggression when we don't have it so we are harder to play against.

08:56

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EFL Trophy Highlights: FGR 0 Albion 0 (Albion Win 4-2 On Penalties)

"The EFL Trophy is a competition we take very seriously and we want to go as far as possible in it."

Leigh Kavanagh, Benicio Baker-Boaitey, Jack Hinchy, and Mark O'Mahony are among the under-21s regulars who could return to face the Dons on Tuesday after missing the Fulham loss.