Brighton & Hove Albion under-23 coach Simon Rusk took the positives from last night’s 2-1 friendly defeat to Bognor Regis Town, and is looking forward to the challenges ahead next season.
Rusk had no complaints about the result at Nyewood Lane, but was pleased to hand Ed Turns his under-23 debut and praised the quality of Jordan Maguire-Drew’s free-kick that broke the deadlock.
He said, “On the balance of the game, I thought Bognor deserved it, but there were lots of positives to take from it.
“We had some young players in there and had Ed Turns making his debut for us.
“It was also a lovely free-kick from Jordan, he took it really well and we know he’s got that in him. It was nice to see him score a goal for Brighton.
“He’s gone into some sides that have got a lot of momentum, with the likes of Coventry and Lincoln. I’m sure he’ll take a lot from that and he’ll have a greater outlook on professional football as a whole.”
Rusk is now looking forward to the fresh challenges that lie ahead this season, which includes a first-ever appearance in the Premier League International Cup, with matches against Benfica and Bayern Munich.
He also congratulated Max Sanders, after the midfielder featured for England under-19s in their European Championships opener against Turkey on Tuesday.
“It’s a challenge and it’s great that we’ll be playing the likes of Bayern Munich and Benfica.
“We’ve got to embrace playing football at the top level, whether it’s at first-team or under-23 level. It will challenge us tactically, technically and athletically. We’ve got to do our best and represent the club in the best way possible.
“It’s outstanding for Max and he absolutely deserves it. It’s wonderful for him, the academy and the club as a whole. But he’s worked very hard and he absolutely deserves his place in the squad.”