OUR young lads gave everything against Moor Green in the Worcestershire Senior Cup semi-final and I could not be more pleased with them.

The Moors fielded a very strong side, using the same squad of 16 that played Stalybridge Celtic last Saturday, so it was a feather in the cap for the lads.

It's a shame we couldn't reach the final, because that would have been another great experience.

Penalty shoot-outs are a cruel way to go out, but as Jose Mourinho might say - we did not lose.

The four teenagers -- Gary Walker, Dale Watkins, Nat Bulmer and Troy Wood -- all came through with tremendous credit.

Gary delivered a great through-ball for Troy to score early on. It was an excellent spot. From Troy, it was a great first touch and a superb finish.

It was a great start that gave the lads confidence. Dale did a very good job in midfield. He is more of a full-back, but he showed no fear in the middle of the park, putting in some crunching tackles.

Dale and Gary showed plenty of desire alongside Jai Stanley. It was the same with Nat at right back. His will to win was fantastic all night. Nat also has an unbelievably long throw and that is a huge asset.

As we've seen before, Troy showed what he is all about. When he gets the ball, he is lively and positive. Troy does things off the cuff. That all comes with confidence. He is becoming more and more confident and itching for another chance.

Troy's come off the bench a few times and he started the FA Trophy tie at Crawley. He's always in my thoughts.

These lads can only get better and, if called upon, I don't think any of them would ever let us down.

The dilemma is trying to give them opportunities this season. We will see how things develop in the next few Nationwide North games.

We've got 12 league games left. If we find ourselves having nothing to play for, such as not pushing for the play-offs and not sucked in a relegation battle, then these lads may get a good run in the team.

I will give them a chance, but that's the ideal opportunity to throw them in. It was easy for me to put Troy in the team when we hit a lean spell scoring. His confidence was high and he was scoring goals.

It's just a matter of timing and, hopefully, I can get the timing right for them.

For the time being, they must continue to work hard in the reserves.

I hope they look at the progress of Sam Wedgbury and think it can happen to them.

Another pleasing factor of Monday night's game was that it got Jai and Les Hines through a rigorous 120 minutes. Facing a strong Moor Green side really helped them.

They are both fit and ready for Saturday's home league match against the Moors if called upon.

It might prove to be another close game. They are a strong side with good players. It does not surprise me that they are challenging for the play-offs.

But we must take three points if we are going to have a realistic play-off chance.