Ash Foyle has praised his U18 side following their 3-0 FA Youth Cup triumph at Notts County on Tuesday.

The young Imps progressed into round two of the competition thanks to a brace from Zane Okoro and a goal from Russell Berko in the second half at Meadow Lane.

Foyle said: “The aim first and foremost was to get through to the next round, however that comes. 

“We weren’t pleased with the first half, but when we came out after the break we lifted the intensity levels and were braver with the ball.

“Once we got our noses in front, we never really felt like we were going to allow them back into the game which was good to see.”

Foyle was particularly pleased with the contributions from Okoro who netted twice on the night, but also applauded his team’s defence who stood firm to help secure a clean sheet on the road.

He added: “Zane looked really bright and took the information on board which we gave him at half-time. We wanted him to play with some freedom and be bright because that’s the style of football we work towards.

“It’s good to see him be a little bit more ruthless in front of goal because that’s something which has been high up on his priority list, and it’s good he can do that on such an occasion.

“Clean sheets are what gets you through in these competitions. It’s the icing on the cake to keep that back door shut and give us confidence heading into the next round.”

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