Fleetwood Town head coach Joey Barton has praised seven of the club’s young prospects after featuring in Monday night’s 2-1 pre-season victory at Chorley.
Nathan Sheron, Lewis Baines, Harrison Holgate, Gerard Garner, James Hill, Dylan Boyle and Ryan Rydel all finished the friendly, which was decided thanks to two Ash Hunter strikes in the first half.
Town’s chief was impressed with what he saw with the young players, especially against tough National League North opponents.
“They all did really well,” stated Barton.
“It’s a key thing for me [to give the players a chance] and if the kids are good enough they’ll play – I don’t care how old they are.
“You’ve seen in pre-season, when we’ve been able to give them a chance in and around the first team, they’ve took it. It’s a great experience tonight for them to play against a team of men here at Chorley.
“They all did really, really well – we’re Fleetwood Town and we want to show that there is a clear pathway for our young players to get into the first team.”