Neil Mackintosh has praised the efforts of his Scotland Under-14 players who competed at a Development Tournament in Rijssen, Netherlands, last week.
 
Scotland defeated Czech Republic 3-1 in their opening fixture and lost 1-0 to the Netherlands and 2-0 to Turkey in the round-robin tournament.
 
The experience for the players, Mackintosh believes, has been beneficial to the their development.
 
Speaking to the Scottish FA website, Mackintosh said: “The point of Development Tournaments like these is to develop younger players and we have definitely done that.

“Our players have learnt about the tempo and physicality of international football against three very good football teams.”
 
70% of the players in the squad currently train at the Scottish FA Performance Schools and the experience of travelling and playing abroad – including a stadium trip to FC Twente, has taught the players about key aspects of professional football.
 
“They also learnt about the required preparation to do with rehydration, nutritional and technical/tactical preparation needed to compete at this level. 

"What they have learnt in their time in the Netherlands is the attitude and approach they’ll need if they want to succeed.”