Martin Allen says development players are capable of playing from the start if required
Martin Allen has praised the work of the development squad this season and says many of the players within the team are good enough to play in the first eleven.
The likes of Jake Hessenthaler, Josh Hare, Charlie Webster and Sam Muggleton have all travelled with the first team this season to make up the match day squad, but Martin believes that they are now ready to make the next step.
With a few first team squad members out injured for this weekend’s visit of Accrington he said they may well be called upon.
He said: “Jake is a good footballer; Devante is a good footballer and so is our right back Mahlon Romeo. Aaron Millbank is 17 or 18 and Nathan Nyafli is 18 and he has done really well in the development games.
“I let him [Nathan] go a few weeks ago and I didn’t sleep because I made a bad decision. I spoke to Mr. Scally and said I’m not comfortable with what I have done and gave him another year.
“I said sorry to him but he was crying because he was so happy and I cried a bit because I should have given him another year, he’s developed fantastic.
“We have a good group of players behind us and they are there for a reason and if they have to play in the team they will all be fine.
“It isn’t worrying me; I’m not fazed by it one little bit. I’ve watched our development squad play in the last few months and they are doing alright.
“Mark Patterson has done a good job with them. They are very fit, very strong and the work they have put in has been done for a reason and this is it.
"If they get their chance they will be absolutely fine, I could pick seven of that squad, put them in the team and no-one would know the difference, they are that good.”
With the loan window soon to expire it gives Martin one last chance to add to his team before the season comes to a close, but he says he may not make any signings at all as he is happy with what he has at the club.
He said: “It’s still a maybe one, just a maybe one. If you look through the squad Danny East gives us cover at both full backs, Callum Davies can play in both centre back positions.
"Charlie Allen is now fit when it looked like at the time he was going to have an operation that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
“So we’ve got Gregory, Allen, Frampton, Dack, Robinson, Lee, Whelpdale and hopefully Weston. We don’t really need any midfielders, and up front we have Birchall, Burton, Kedwell, German and perhaps Weston aswell.
“In goal we have Forecast, Nelson and a lad on loan with us from Liverpool who is about seven foot.
“I have also got a question of whether to bring other people in to our squad right now. It could actually upset what we have got. Kedwell is playing fantastic; Deon is doing a great job. The German is doing better than what I thought he would be.
“Adam Birchall is ready to go again so I don’t think we need any more players, we need to stick together, fight together and look after each other.
“That passion for each other should take us through.”
To read Martin's pre-match talk on opponents Accrington Stanley click here.