"Football has no sympathy": Troso on making his MK Dons debut in defeat
The teenager spoke after the Vertu Trophy opener against West Ham U21s
No-one was safe from Paul Warne’s wrath after Tuesday night’s 5-1 thumping at the hands of West Ham U21s, and nor should they be admitted debutant Simone Troso.
The 18-year-old was one of three academy products making their senior debuts in the Vertu Trophy at Stadium MK, but a poor first-half performance saw MK Dons trailing 3-0 to the young Hammers at the break.
Speaking afterwards, Warne said he held nothing back in his post-match analysis with the players, with the academy players not being spared their share of the rollicking.
Troso, making his first senior appearance of any kind on Tuesday, said no-one was spared nor should they be after their poor first-half showing.
“Football has no sympathy towards anyone, young or senior,” he said. “The performance was miles off it, way below the standard expected of us. No matter how old you are, if the gaffer gives you the opportunity you should be ready, you’re expected to be ready. He has every right to be angry.
“We were miles off the standard expected of us in the first-half. In the second-half, the gaffer asked us to be more aggressive out of possession and I think we showed that, but the first-half cost us. There was a slight reaction but it wasn’t good enough from anyone.”
For the teenager, the result took the shine off making his first appearance but he hopes to get more opportunities in the competition this season.
He admitted: “It was very bittersweet. It was a proud moment for me and my family to make my debut but obviously it would have been nicer to get a result on the back of it.
“It’s not the best first appearance, but I’m hoping for more in the future. Chances like this don’t come very often, hopefully I can get another chance and I can show a bit more of what I can do. That’s the plan.”