Rotherham United’s Academy were beaten 1-0 by Blackpool in the Youth Alliance Cup at Roundwood.
The Millers, taking part in the revamped competition which now sees clubs compete in a group stage format, were beaten by a solitary strike in a close encounter.
Academy manager Garreth Barker was disappointed with his side’s display, and admitted he will be looking for an improvement ahead of the weekend clash with Oldham Athletic.
“The cup is a group competition this year instead of a knockout, the thinking being that there are more games which will aid development,” Garreth told www.themillers.co.uk
“It was disappointing. It was a tight game, very scrappy and we conceded around the 80th minute. It was a typical incident that followed the pattern of the game. It was a cross that has hit a player and gone in, and I don't think he knew much about it.
“I don't think that we played anywhere near the maximum that we can do. What we can't do is keep saying it is down to injuries etc. We had quite a number of players available. Out of the starting line-up we were only missing a couple of bodies, so we would have expected the boys to have played better than they did.”