Fleetwood Town U-18 coach Simon Wiles urges players to impress in FA Youth clash
Wiles’ players go into the 7pm clash on the back of a 3-2 win over Mansfield and have a chance to emulate team-mates Ryan Rydel and James Hill, who earned opportunities to be around the first team this season.
Hill made his debut at Leicester’s King Power Stadium in the Carabao Cup, though many of Wiles’ squad won’t have played in a Football League stadium before tonight.
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Hide AdAnd with Barton watching on, Wiles urged his players to relish this opportunity. He said: “The manager is really open – if the young boys are good enough, they are old enough. At the moment the opportunities are there – five or six have made the (first-team) bench, Ryan most recently. It is fantastic exposure for them and experience.
“We are hoping those players come to the forefront on Thursday night and we are looking forward to a good game.
“This is another opportunity for them to show their quality in front of the management team and the first-team staff. Learning to play with an atmosphere is all part of the learning curve.”
“We have played Carlisle already in our league and drew a tough game 0-0.
“They have a style we need to adapt to and we are hoping to give a good account of ourselves.”