SUFFOLK manager Andy Gould believes his narrowly defeated FA County Youth Cup finalists will bounce back as better players following their brave penalty shoot-out loss in Bradford, writes Stuart Watson.

SUFFOLK manager Andy Gould believes his narrowly defeated FA County Youth Cup finalists will bounce back as better players following their brave penalty shoot-out loss in Bradford, writes Stuart Watson.

Gould said: “I often drum into them how you respond to set backs and I am sure they will come back stronger from this experience.

“It's a dreadful way to lose a football match, especially one of this magnitude, but we win together and lose together, and I consider it a privilege to have been associated with this group of players. Some of them have been with me for eight, nine, 10 years and I regard many of them as my friends, so that is why it hurts so much. I can draw a lot of positives from this courageous performance though.”

“Even the neutral would say we were the better side, and by quite some distance.

“I thought Tom Jeal was the best player on the pitch, to be honest, and while Scott Chaplin is of diminutive stature, he arguably has been the most technically gifted player in this competition. His goal doesn't surprise anyone here because he has done it time and time again for us in training.

“Ryan Foster was also outstanding, he maybe 5'7 but he wins a good 75% of his aerial challenges and he hardly ever loses a 50/50 tackle on the floor. He has a big future, as do a lot of these lads.”