Our young Blues are once again winners of the Under-18 Premier League Cup following a win at Fulham last night and after falling just short in the league hunt and the FA Youth Cup, head coach Ed Brand shared his thoughts on the win and the effort from his players...
After being appointed youth team boss in the summer of 2019, this is a long-awaited piece of silverware for Brand. However, having been the assistant coach under Jody Morris during his time in the Academy, the former Youth Cup captain is no stranger to success at this club.
‘Winning is always a fantastic feeling,' he said shortly after the final whistle.
'We speak about development and we always talk about individuals and who can perform in environments like this, so it's nice to do both at the same time.’
This echoes the words of our head of youth development Neil Bath who in the lead up to this game had said that ‘winning is not everything, but it is definitely a part of development.’
The match-winner Jude Soonsup-Bell had already scored a brace against our west London neighbours Fulham earlier this season and he was on hand to be the thorn in the young Cottagers’ side once again.
‘Jude is a top goalscorer,' continued Brand. 'He showed great composure to get the ball out of his feet and finish well when he got his chance.
'He is a fantastic player at this level and he should be really proud.
‘I do want to give a special mention to Charlie Webster as well and his involvement in the match-winning moment as some great individual brilliance in the middle of the park is what allowed Jude the opportunity to get the winner.’
There have been a number of learning aspects for this group of players throughout the course of the 2021/22 competition and above all is their knack for being able to overcome challenges mid-game.
With comebacks against Reading, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers and Derby County, our young Blues have handled temporary setbacks in a mature fashion and this has helped them to remain undefeated throughout the whole cup run.
‘One thing about this campaign that I can say we have learnt as a team is that we must expect anything,' added Brand.
'A lot has happened this year at Chelsea that has been out of our control but I am thoroughly delighted as a coach that we have shown character and tremendous bravery to continue showing their capabilities on the pitch. They have never let things affect them and it is a testament to this group.’
Our Under-18s close out their season this weekend as they face Southampton in their final league encounter.