SKY Blues academy star Aaron Phllips could be forgiven for still being in shock after scoring a rare brace as the Sky Blues progressed in the Johnstone Paint Trophy at the expense of Exeter.
The 20-year-old scored twice in the opening period at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday night and Josh McQuoid added a third before Ollie Watkins’ late consolation.
The young full-back, who is the son of FA Cup winning hero David Phillips, was delighted to see the club progress into the Area Quarter-Final.
But emphasised the importance of ending a run of four games without a win.
“I was happy with my first goal,” said Phillips. “I thought just keep it down as it came to me quite quickly and I was really happy to see it go in.
“For the second, I saw the goalkeeper slightly off his line so I thought I’d go for it and it was great to see it go in.
“To score one goal was great but I’m sure if someone said I’d score two goals, it’ll be out of the question.
“It was a really important win as we haven’t won in four games and it was a result to bring confidence back into the squad.”
Steven Pressley gave over 7,000 fans another glimpse of the future by fielding no less than nine academy graduates in the
Coventry City defender Aaron Phillips admitted it was a ‘great moment’ to see his second goal reach the back of the net in the 3-1 win over Exeter City.
The Sky Blues progressed to the third round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy thanks to an Aaron Phillips first-half double.
Josh McQuoid added a third in the second-half as the Sky Blues ended the match with nine Academy products on the pitch.
The City right wing-back was delighted with his brace and believes the win was important to bring confidence back into the squad.
City Under-18s players James Maddison and George Thomas came on in the second-half for City and Phillips has backed their ‘fearless’ approach to first-half football.
“To play with so many Academy players is great because we all know our games. So many players have progressed through our Academy and it’s great to see.
“The future of football in Coventry is great because the club are producing so many local players at the moment.
“I was impressed with James and George. They were fearless when they came on and it was great to see them settle into the game so easily.
“They train with us in the first-team quite a lot and if they keep doing well for the Under-18s, they’ll have a good season.”
