SWINDON Town manager Michael Flynn said it was “great” to see some of the club’s young players competing with “one of the best clubs in the world” on Tuesday night as the Robins fell 5-4 on penalties to Arsenal U21s in the EFL Trophy.

Town twice took the lead in normal time through a Reuell Walters own goal and Tariq Uwakwe’s first strike for the club, but they were ultimately pegged back on both occasions as Lino Sousa and substitute Jimi Gower found the net.

After both sides took a point at the end of 90 minutes, penalties were required to decide which team claimed the bonus reward.

An excellent set of spot-kicks ensued, but Benn Ward’s saved effort ultimately handed the win to Arsenal.

Post-match, Flynn shared plenty of praise for both young squads.

He said: “I thought it was a good game full of young players showcasing their talents.

“I was very, very impressed with Arsenal – they played some fantastic football. They’ve got a lot of pace, but they are one of the best clubs in the world.

“I know they’re young, but not just ability-wise, but their mentality is very, very good and I was very impressed with them.

“I think they finished stronger than us, but again, we had a young team, a young squad, and it was a good test for the boys who came in and a good marker to see where elite players of their age are at in terms of standards.”

Town may have considered themselves fortunate to be ahead at half-time after a hat-trick of chances were cleared off the line, but Arsenal deservedly hauled themselves alongside late on to force penalties.

Flynn was proud of his team for the courage they showed, regardless, and said there were plenty of other positives to show for their night’s work too.

He said: “A lot of what we wanted them to learn is the movements and being able to cope with quick, sharp, decisive movement.

“You’ve got those players – a couple of who are training with the first team – so they’re highly, highly thought of.

“It was a game where our players kept going. We rode our luck at times with three cleared off the line, I must say that.

“It was good to see Tyrese [Shade] come back from injury, it was good to get minutes into Jacob Wakeling, and it will do Benn Ward, Tariq Uwakwe, Jake Cain, and Liam Kinsella the world of good.

“So, for me, we had no injuries and we got to see some of our young players as well.”