Rovers U18s are set to embark on their first away trip of the 2018/19 season on Saturday as they head to West Yorkshire to take on Huddersfield Town’s U18s.
Paul Stancliffe is looking forward to facing new opposition in Huddersfield Town, as the Premier League outfit have joined the EFL North East Youth Division for the 2018/19 season.
He said: “We prepare just the same for every game - towards the end of the work we’ll start working on our shape, our system and set-plays.
“On paper you would say they may be a tough opposition – with them being in the Premier League – but we haven’t faced them before or seen them for years, so it would be hard to say whether they’ll be difficult opposition.”
Creative midfielder Cameron Barnett has been given a clean bill of health and will be fit to face the young Terriers, after having to be withdrawn during Rovers’ win over Oldham last weekend.
He added: “He’s had a bad blister on the bottom of his foot so with the timing and the state of the game against Oldham I didn’t want to take any chances, so I brought him off as a precaution, because you don’t want to keep someone on who isn’t moving 100 per cent.”