Reserve team coach Graham Kavanagh spoke to us about the 1-1 draw with Preston at Brunton Park:
"I enjoyed it and I thought the lads commitment was brilliant today. Their attitude was very good.
The senior players all did well. Lummy was his usual self, trying to pull the strings, and Grant Smith did well at the back. Dobes was unlucky with chances and Jeff Smith put a great ball in for the goal, and they all had a decent work out for the 90 minutes.
I thought some of the young kids were very good. I was quite impressed with Duffy at the back, he played quite well.
We could have had a penalty given when you look at that incident, and that would have been a good start for myself with looking after the team for the first time on the day.
On the whole though, and considering we went a goal down, the character the lads showed to get back into the game was excellent.
I thought the we could have had a bit more from the wide areas in the second half, but it's a learning curve for lads who play that position. It was definitely a good work out.
I was a bit nervous when the game kicked off, because it doesn't matter that it's only the Reserves, you still want to win and to feel part of it. You still want the lads to do well when you're a coach.
If the players perform well you get the credit, but if they don't there is very little you can do. Obviously you try and help, but I thought their play today was first class. There were a lot of second balls and tackles won and I felt there was 100% commitment.
We took Craig Mahon off in the second half because he's trained with us for the week and he's looking to go on another trial, and that will possibly involve him in playing in another game. I thought, for his sake, that it would be better if we kept him fresh for that. Jonny Blake has played for the Reserves in that position before so it was no problem to put him on and work that role.
With the penalty, I thought it was a definite. I thought the referee had already made the decision, because he blew his whistle and ran to the spot, but he actually ended up giving the corner. I was a little bit disappointed with that.
Alex Mitchell came in and looked solid. To be thrown in like that, without any kind of warm up, I thought he was outstanding. His handling was very good, his kicking was very good, and his decision making was good, and I'm hoping that gives him an awful lot of confidence.
Reserve games are a good way to get a look at trial players, and I'm sure that we'll see more between now and the end of the season. It's a case of trying to improve the squad.
You have to be selective with the players that do come in as none of us have a crystal ball to see who is going to make it and who isn't. Those that we do sign you hope will go on to make that step in to the first team within six months to a year.
The management team have spoken about a development squad for next season, involving the young kids and players from our first team, and we will be working with them on a regular basis.
The manager is going to put a coaching system in place where we try and spend more hours with the younger players. That will give them more one-to-one coaching and development opportunities. By doing that we will make sure that they understand what we are looking for when they make the next step up to the first team. It should furnish them with the confidence and the belief that they will be able to cope when they do step up, because it won't be out of the ordinary. They will have trained in the same way that the first team have trained, and they will be equal to the demands and to what is expected of them.
It's something that we will start with in pre-season and we will take it on in to the next campaign."
United - Howarth (Mitchell 6), Kane, Hughton, G Smith, Duffy, Mahon (Blake 70), Rothery, Lumsdon, Tinnion, J Smith, Dobie. Subs - Cleary, Lakeland, Davison.
