Professional development phase coach Frank Sinclair felt his side got their just rewards after a late win over Bradford City at the Hoober Homes Elite Performance Centre.
Jak Whiting gave the youth team an opener in the EFL Youth Alliance League but it took a last minute goal from Freddie Allen to secure the three points in a 2-1 win.
After moving into the top half of the league, Sinclair admitted his satisfaction at Rovers U18s getting what they deserved from their game against the league leaders.
He said: “It feels really good because I thought we put in a really gritty performance against a very good side so we had to be patient in our shape and respect that they had the ability to punish us if we moved too early.
“We were really disciplined out of possession so I’m pleased with that and then we got our noses in front just after the break.
“In the end it was a deserved win when you look at the momentum we had after the first 25 minutes of them bossing the game and making it difficult for us.
“After that, I thought we controlled the game and were the better team so we got what we deserved.”
Both goal scorers netted their first goals of the 2022/23 season with both featuring heavily in Rovers backline this season, leaving the youth team manager pleased at the contributions made throughout the team.
Sinclair added: “It was nice to see some of the other lads chip in with the goals to get the headlines for a change.
“For me though, it’s not about who scores the goals individually, it’s about the team performance and we spoke about that this week – about how to be stronger collectively.
“I just thought it was great to see the character that the team had to go into a game against a Bradford side who are probably the best in the league, and come out of it with three consecutive wins against three very good sides.”