WORCESTER City youth development officer Ray Woods is confident the experiences of the past season will hold his squad in good stead.

City's youth team have endured a testing season, finishing fourth in the Midland Floodlit Youth League Premier Division and losing in the final of the Worcestershire FA Youth Cup to Redditch United.

They also ended their Midland Combination Division Two campaign third from bottom, despite winning their last two games, and lost in the semi-finals of the Challenge Vase to eventual winners Coventry Sphinx.

Although the team did not win any silverware, Woods believes the first-year students will have benefitted. He said: "I don't think we can class it as a successful season because we didn't achieve what we wanted to to achieve.

"We didn't win anything but I think it's been invaluable experience for the first year lads who played a lot of the games.

"At any one time between nine and 12 of the squad of 16 were first years. For the amount of 16-year-olds we had out I think it bodes well for next year.

"We feel that next year we are going to have a very strong second year and a very good first year."

The search to find the next batch of first years for City's academy has already begun and a third trial day is due to take place on Thursday, May 31. The session runs between 9.45am and 12.30pm at their Bilford Road base in Perdiswell and is open to pupils in their final GCSE year.

From July, successful teenagers will play in City's youth team while continuing their education at Worcester College of Technology.

Call Worcester City FC on 01905-23003 for more details.