Brighton & Hove Albion under-23 defender Owen Moore has been pleased with his start to the season, and highlighted the increase in quality that his team-mates are coming up against on a regular basis.
The Seagulls head into this evening’s Premier League International Cup match against Everton with an unbeaten record in the league, and Simon Rusk’s team will be looking to make a positive start on their tournament debut.
Moore featured in Albion’s opening three matches before picking up a foot injury, and with the full-back now fit and available, he commented on the positive mood around the changing room.
He said, “The morale of the team is so high at the moment. Some of the results this season have been great and we’ll be looking to continue that in the cup.
“There were some great results in my first few games. For me as a full-back, I didn’t really play as much last season, so the test has been a lot harder this season in the top league.
“One-v-one defending has been massive this season. There are some quick, skilful players in this league, but I think I’ve held my own quite well.
“It feels like we can’t lose - obviously that’s not the case, but against West Ham for instance, we went 1-0 down and it still felt like we wasn’t going to lose the game.”
A handful of under-23 players featured in the Carabao Cup last month, including Aaron Connolly and Viktor Gyokeres, and Moore praised the attacking duo, before speaking about the benefits of occasionally training with the first team.
“Aaron and Viktor on the counter attack can be very dangerous. We always know we’ve got that out ball. They can certainly get us out of trouble if we need it.
“When you see people getting past the under-23s and playing for the first team, it gives you hope. You can see the pathway that others are taking and you hope you can do the same.
“It’s great training with the first team sometimes. The standard is very high and it pushes you to work even harder and make a good impression. The ball zips around quicker and you can see the quality needed to play at that level.”