WORCESTER City's youth development scheme is extremely important to the club.

It's the best way to bring players through for the future.

Youngsters on the scheme are local and know the club better than most players who have just been brought in from other clubs.

It's good for managers and clubs to have home-produced players and I think the fans relate to them more than other players.

Shabir Khan has come through the youth system and he's had to be patient for a place but he has got potential.

Midfielders Dale Watkins and Gary Walker are improving and Alex Woodhouse, who plays on the left, is playing a lot of games in the reserves - he's another one who I hope will come through as well.

I haven't seen a lot of the academy this season. I know youth development officer Ray Woods feels that they are probably not as strong as they have been but they are still progressing in the cups and have got a good team ethic.

If you don't have the individuals, it is important to have a strong team ethic and they have that.

Hopefully they can go on and do well in these cups.

Troy Wood has been on loan at Evesham United and done well, scoring four goals in four games.

He went to Gloucester City in November and although he didn't get the goals, he gave good performance.

Such moves are good for his confidence and you never know where that will take him.

Although the teams have been a few leagues below us, I still think confidence is a massive thing for a player.

He will come back to us and try to force his way into the first team.

Troy played the first half-a-dozen games of the season for us. He is one for the future and features in my plans.

It's only his first season and he's going to go from strength to strength learning off the likes of fellow strikers Adam Webster, Craig Wilding and Mark Danks.

They are all fighting for places. Troy's a little bit different to the other strikers we have got and I am sure they will be my strikers for next season.

On the injury front, I think Adam Burley (hamstring) is going to be fine so that's good news for us. We could do with him back.

We were a little bit short on numbers against Hyde on Saturday and him coming back is going to make things a little bit better for us, especially with Dennis Pearce slightly tweaking his hamstring.

Danks will be back as well following suspension and that's only going to strengthen our team for the run-in.

We have got a big game coming up at Moor Green on Saturday and we need everybody available.