Luke Hussey believes there were plenty of positives to take for Newport County Under-18s despite their 3-2 defeat against Sutton United.
Goals from Moses Alexander-Walker and Cory Evans brought Newport County back on level terms after an early setback, before the visitors snatched all three points with a dramatic stoppage-time winner.
The victory not only secured a hard-fought comeback for the U's, but also ended County's unbeaten home start to the season.
"I have mixed thoughts around the result," said Hussey post-match.
"Obviously we are disappointed with the result and the outcome of the game, but there are a lot of positives to take out of it.
"The lads found themselves 2-0 down after eight minutes, but showed great character, composure and stuck to our principles of play to get themselves back to 2-2.
"Right at the death we had our chances to win the game and then as football can go they score a winner from a set piece. We are disappointed but will try to focus on the positives.
"The comeback is a credit to the group, it is a character trait that we are trying to instil in all of our teams from the first team all the way down to the U9s.
“This team are very competitive and the one thing they do guarantee is that even in those tough moments they always seem to find a way and adapt to stay in the game. I am very pleased with them."
County winger Alexander-Walker delivered a standout performance, capping it off with a powerful finish just five minutes before the interval.
Despite the team's defeat at USW Sport Park, Hussey expressed his satisfaction with the winger's attacking contribution, praising his energy and impact throughout the match.
"Moses put in a really good performance today, he really stretched their defence and was a real handful,” Hussey added.
"He scored a great goal, nearly got a second but like we will do with all the boys we will sit down and watch the game clips to try and keep that development going."