John Schofield reckons the players involved in the Development squad’s 4-0 win over Walsall should take plenty of confidence from the encounter.
Rovers were dominant in the Central League Cup fixture at Ray Hall Lane, leading 3-0 at the break and extending it further in the second period.
They were helped by the returning experience of Mathieu Baudry, who strolled through his first 60 minutes since a pre-season injury as he played in a back three alongside Craig Alcock and Tyler Garratt.
Schofield said: “It was important to get game time for players like Frenchy, Craig Alcock and Issam Ben Khemis - that will do them the world of good.
“And the younger players alongside them will come on for it as well, we still had a very young squad out there and the way they are coming on this season is brilliant.
Liam Mandeville opened the scoring for Rovers after 18 minutes, cutting in from the left before slotting the ball into a bottom corner.
James Morris then quickly made it 2-0, then converted from close range just before the break to extend the lead further.
Jacob Fletcher - full of confidence after making his first-team debut less than a week earlier, becoming the first player born in 2000 or later to represent Rovers - scored from just inside the area early in the second half.
Schofield added: “A month ago Fletcher was playing non-league at Spalding, getting his first taste of men’s football. You can see it has toughened him up, playing against men, and these kind of games are vital for the development of players like him.
“With so many Academy products in the Checkatrade Trophy side and Danny Amos representing Northern Ireland U19s, we can be proud of the young players we’ve got coming through.”