Shea Charles has called for City’s Elite Development Squad to maintain focus for the full 90 minutes ahead Tuesday evening’s vital Papa John’s Trophy clash against Rotherham.

Victory at the New York Stadium would guarantee qualification for the knockout stages, as our young blues aim to bounce back from a first Premier League 2 loss of the season at the weekend.

Despite that 3-1 setback against Tottenham Hotspur, confidence remains high in the camp ahead of a difficult trip to face the Millers, who currently sit fifth in League One.

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Rotherham are unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions, but Charles is expecting our EDS to come out firing at the New York Stadium having learned the lessons from that Spurs defeat.

“It was disappointing to come out with a loss, I felt we dominated the game,” Charles reflected on our previous outing.

“Tottenham are a good team but when we took the lead, I thought we’d go on to dominate. But they turned the game around.

“We just need to stay focused, even if we dominate the game, it’s all about focus and concentration.

“Especially against men, you’ve got to concentrate even more and be up to the physical challenge.

“Rotherham are a good team, so we’ve got to stay focused.”

It’s a quick turnaround for City’s EDS following our final Papa John’s Trophy Group E match against Rotherham, with a trip to the south coast on Friday to face Brighton firmly on the horizon.

That showdown with the Seagulls is followed by a further two matches in the space of eight days, with Brian Barry-Murphy’s side in UEFA Youth League action against Club Brugge before a Premier League 2 trip to face Everton the following weekend.

Nonetheless, Charles is confident that he and his teammates will continue to adapt to the rigours of our busy fixture schedule.

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He said: “I feel like I’ve coped well because it is tiring two games a week all the time.

“But we’ve been doing well and winning games.

“I think the team has dealt with those demands well.”

Rotherham v City’s EDS is available to watch live on CITY+.

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The match gets underway at 19:00 (UK) on Tuesday 26 October, with victory for Brian Barry-Murphy‘s young blues guaranteeing a spot in the last 32 of the Papa John’s Trophy.

Our following match, a Premier League 2 encounter away to Brighton, is also available on CITY+, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 on Friday 29 October.

A CITY+ subscription allows you to watch selected Women’s, EDS and Academy games live, as well as full-match replays of all senior men’s matches.

It also grants access to original City Studios documentaries, such as Kevin De Bruyne: Made in Belgium and Shaun Wright-Phillips: City’s Homegrown Hero, with a subscription costing just £1.99 per month.