Assistant manager on the reserve game
Assistant manager Davie Irons spoke to us following the reserve team victory over Fleetwood Town on Tuesday.
"It was an enjoyable game and I thought all of the lads played really well," he said. "We had a combination of youth team players and younger pros so we asked the senior lads to show Kav what they could do. We wanted the young lads to make the step up from youth football.
"Some of the football was excellent and we scored two good goals. Connor Thomson did exceptionally well for the first goal and Danny Hodgson finished it superbly. The pros responded to that and David Symington and Mark Beck combined to good effect for the second goal.
"I thought Mark played well. It can be difficult for him in some games, where he doesn't see a lot of the ball, but I thought he battled with their centre back and he deserved his goal."
"It was a very physical game and there were a few challenges flying in that probably would have been pulled up in a league game," he continued. "We came off worse in the sense that Chris Chantler had to come off injured, but fingers crossed he'll be ok. I thought it was a nasty tackle but it's still too early to say whether it will be serious or not.
"We played a lot of the youth team lads and I thought every single one of them responded to the challenge we set them before the game. The attitude throughout the team was spot on and I think we deserved the victory."
"It's a great learning curve for the youth team lads and it really adds to their education," he added. "They're used to playing against lads who are their own age so it's always good to see them in this type of environment so we can see if they can make the step up. Playing on the main pitch always gives them a lift, and they all enjoy playing with the pros, so it can only be good for their development.
"I think every one of them showed that they'll be able to make that step up so that will help us in making the decisions on them. We obviously know about them from the youth coaches but it can be difficult for us to get a chance to watch them in game situations. It's good for Kav and myself to see how they react to playing against men rather than boys.
"I think it gives them an extra lift when they know the manager is watching them and Kav came in after the game and told everyone he was pleased with the performance. I'm sure they'll all go home with smiles on their faces tonight."
"Lee Robinson came in on trial for us and I thought he looked very assured," he said. "He made a great save at 0-0 to keep the clean sheet. He came in so we could have a look at him and we'll just see what happens. We haven't put a time scale on it but we do know we need another goalkeeper to challenge Greg Fleming. I know him from previous clubs and he's a very capable goalkeeper who distributes the ball really well. It's something we'll keep an eye on then make a decision."
