Coventry City U18's boss Greg Rioch has expressed his delight at his side's second place in the FA Academy League Group B table.
Speaking to Sky Blue Player's Keiran Crowley after a 1-0 win in the rain at Wast Hills against Birmingham City, Rioch, who is now back after a knee operation, said: "I am so proud of the way we have performed today and the way we have applied ourselves throughout the season.
"To finish the season just one point behind the leaders is terrific and it is a great achievement for these lads. Again today, we have played a good Birmingham City side and we have put some of our Under 16s on today.
"It shows that we have a strength in depth of talent, and they have gained great experience from that performance today in some tough conditions.
"We have tried to bring in some of our younger players for a while now and it is a great benefit. We have always said that the current Under 16s are a good group and they have had a great grounding.
"We really are looking forward to seeing how they develop and roll on next season.
City finished one point behind Trevor Peake's Leicester City who did not have anywhere near the number of Academy players playing for their first team as the Sky Blues did and Rioch added. "We were one point short of winning it so I will have to have an interrogation meeting with Lee Carsley to find out whose fault it is and where it all went wrong.
But in all seriousness, I think it has been a case of since Christmas we have missed out on a couple of the older players if you like, who have been in and around the first-team.
"And that is what it is all about. Trying to progress these lads up into the first team squad which we have been doing and for me, that is the success.
"More success to me than winning leagues is to see one of our lads make that step up. If we had a bit more of a settled team, then we might have won the league.
"But, then we wouldn't have had the joy of seeing the lads step up to the first-team, and that has been fantastic."