Honest Andy Holdsworth on what Sheffield Wednesday youngsters can learn from FA Youth Cup win ahead of Blackburn Rovers clash

The high-flying under-18s beat Preston North End 1-0 at Hillsborough to go as far as they have in the competition for six years.

Speaking after the match, Holdsworth expressed a little disappointment with how the Owlets performed on the night but that they learned plenty heading into another big stadium date at Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park on January 27.

“In all honesty as staff, we didn’t think the performance was great and we expected them to play better than they did,” he said.

“We wanted them to play a little bit more in the areas we asked them to play in. But at the end of the day, it’s about winning games. The aim at the start of this competition was to go as far as we can and to try to win games. That’s what we’re doing at the minute which is pleasing.

“The performance could have been a little bit better, but it’s a win.”

The away draw will stand the young Wednesday side in good stead, Holdsworth believes.

He felt the experience of playing at Hillsborough had weighed down on some of his players, something they will have to improve upon heading into their trip over the Pennines.

Holdsworth said: “Blackburn will be a very tough task, a bit like Southampton, they’re a stage above us in the football pyramid and are flying high in their league.

“They’re always tough games but from our point of view it seems to be a little bit easier away from home in cup competitions.

“The aura of Sheffield Wednesday, this stadium and everything that goes with it. It changes our players a little bit.

“We found a lot out about quite a few of them tonight. You could see before the game they were a little bit anxious, a little bit uptight.

“You expect that because some of them have never played in a stadium. But you could see it in their performances, usually we move the ball a little bit better. You could see they were uptight.”