Paul Stancliffe feels Doncaster Rovers’ Academy is going from strength to strength.
Several Academy products have been handed their first tastes of first-team football in recent weeks, with second-year scholar Danny Amos making a goalscoring international debut for Northern Ireland U19 and the on-pitch performances of the U18 peaking.
The Checkatrade Trophy win over Sunderland U21 saw Tyler Walker, Jacob Fletcher, James Morris, Cody Prior and Morgan James make their senior debuts.
Academy graduates Reece Fielding and Liam Mandeville also started the match - meaning seven players who came through the ranks at Cantley Park contributed to the victory over the Black Cats.
That was followed by a strong showing in a 1-1 Youth Alliance draw with Port Vale on Saturday, leaving Stancliffe feeling upbeat about the Academy’s future.
He said: “It was excellent, absolutely excellent, it was a good performance from us on Saturday and it’s capped off a really positive week for the youth team.
“Tyler’s in there, Reece is in there who we had last year, and several other lads in - it was an excellent week for us. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but we want more.”
Fletcher’s composed debut in the Checkatrade Trophy earned him a first call-up to a Sky Bet League One game the following Saturday, with him coming off the bench in the final stages to replace Jordan Houghton.