Northampton Town Under 18s coach Shane Goddard was in an upbeat mood after his side continued their pre-season tour of the Netherlands with a 2-0 defeat against De Graafschap on Tuesday.
The young Cobblers put in a positive performance but were ultimately beaten by another strong outfit.
Goddard believes his side were unlucky not to get themselves on the scoresheet.
“I’m proud of the boys because we showed really good structure and shape and made it difficult for them to get into any kind of rhythm,” he said.
“We had the best openings in the early exchanges but were punished by two goals in quick succession which we’ll look back on and feel we could have dealt with better.
“We responded in the second half and I don’t know how we haven’t scored.
“We were really good with and without the ball and it’s a step forward against strong opposition.
“We have to look beyond the scoreline because there were so many positives today.
“If we can match those levels week in, week out, we’ll be pcompetitive and difficult to beat in the league.”
The youth team make the short trip across the German border on Tuesday as they end their pre-season tour against Bochum.