 Wednesday, 12th Aug 2009 08:50 Both managers praised 16-year-old Town striker Connor Wickham after the Blues progressed to round two of the Carling Cup by beating Shrewsbury on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Wickham netted two of the Town goals and was impressive throughout. Town boss Roy Keane picked out his three top performers: "Quinner was outstanding for us, especially in the first half. Colin Healy did well and Connor showed his potential again. He worked hard, showed a good attitude and put in a mature performance for a 16-year-old. "We have to remember he's only 16 and we have to manage him properly. It might sound silly but the boy is still growing and we have to be mindful of that and not put too much workload on him. "I don't know how far this boy can go. It's up to him but he has great potential. He works hard, but we will look after him. It's not good for him or the club to play him every week. “For a 16-year-old boy to play against Shrewsbury, whose centre-halves were outstanding, it was very mature. “We have to manage him carefully. It is a big ask, which is why I have brought in another striker.” Keane, who dismissed reports linking Town with a move for Dundee United midfielder Morgaro Gomis, felt the Blues should have put the match beyond doubt in the second half: “It was a good game for the neutral, perhaps not so much for the manager in terms of the goals we gave away. “We should have won the game when we were 3-2 up and we should have killed the game off. That's what you get when you work with young players. “It was a big ask for them going into extra-time, particularly for someone like Alex Bruce who had played a full game on Sunday.” The Town manager felt that overall the game will have done his young players good: "It was a great experience for the youngsters. "The youngsters came through with flying colours and I was pleased with them. They showed a lot of determination and character to come through and we would have been bitterly disappointed to have lost out in the end." Shrews boss Paul Simpson wasn’t too disappointed to lose: "After Saturday's performance we were even better, but we also learnt that if you give players from a higher league room, you'll get punished. "There are so many positives that we can take out of the game and the positive for me is the way that the players stuck to their tasks. Ipswich are a very good side and we were disciplined, stuck to our jobs and worked really hard throughout. "Our fitness levels were really good throughout and you saw a few of their players going down with cramp late on and we were still going strong. "We've come up against a team of very good footballers. Regardless of the fact that they might not be their first choice, they have shown that they can play football. "The likes of Healy, Garvan and the young striker Wickham, and what a talent he looks, are some very good players. "Wickham looks like an outstanding prospect. I'd like to check on his passport - I can't believe he's only 16!" Elsewhere, it was mixed night for ex-Town strikers. Jordan Rhodes netted twice on his first start for Huddersfield as they defeated Stockport 3-1, while Danny Haynes was sent off after receiving two yellow cards as Bristol City won 1-0 at Brentford.
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