Leeds United Under-21s boss Scott Gardner spoke of his pride in his ‘special group’ after a 4-3 EFL Trophy victory over Sky Bet League One Barnsley.

Cheered on by nearly 400 travelling fans, the Academy side showed their quality as they raced into a four-goal lead – including a Callum Mills hat-trick – before digging in to get over the line.

Speaking to the media afterwards, the coach said: “Really proud of the lads. I said to them at the start of the season, I felt like we were getting a special group together and they have showcased it.

“I am just a bit disappointed we couldn’t have gone a little bit further with the scoreline, to be honest. If we would have scored maybe another three in the first half, I don’t think that would have flattered us.

“We have been talking about being ruthless so I think we have seen glimpses of that but, yeah, we can definitely go a bit further.

“We knew that they would change stuff in the second half and we are disappointed to concede the three goals at the end. But actually as a learning experience, that is massive for them.

“I was disappointed for them because I think it could have been a real statement. For 75 minutes we were outstanding.”

With the team now having time to recharge and then get some quality time in on the training pitches over the international break, the boss took a moment to reflect on the beginning of the new campaign to date.

“I think we started relatively well,” Gardner added. “Even when we played Boreham Wood, I said to the players: ‘I can see something brewing with you. Stay with it.’

“And since then, I think we have really stepped up. We want to play these games every week. This is real proper football so we need this more. Our priority is development.”