Production Line Rolls On...

Tony Carr says that a lot of younger players at the club will be promoted to his Academy U18 side this season.

"The situation we have this year with the youth team is that because the first team squad at this time is so thin, the reserve team is going to comprise six or seven youth players.

"The dilemma is 'can we constantly play these boys twice a week?' and the answer, really, is no.

"We can do it on the odd occasion but not on a regular basis - so the reserve team will be very young and consequently the youth team will be young and inexperienced and on certain Saturdays that could tell in the result."

Looking at the season so far for the U18s, he says:

"We had a very good pre-season, culminating in the tournament we won in Den Haag, and all the indications were that our fitness and preparations were on schedule.

"Unfortunately in our first two games we have suffered two defeats, but we met two very strong teams.

"Manchester City, who beat us 4-0, were much stronger and more powerful than us so there were no complaints, and it showed one or two younger ones there is much to do.

"It was a good experience to go last week to Manchester United's training ground with pitches as far as the eye could see.

"The boys were well up for it and we shaded the first half with two fairly experienced players at our level, Laws and Blewitt at the back, and Sam Wright in midfield, but we gifted them a couple of goals which unnerved us.

"They then went three up and it took 10 minutes to get our bearings back, but we scored a very good goal with Ollie Allen latching on to a goal kick and planting it straight back in from about 40 yards.

"We made it 3-2 with Sam Wright but there just wasn't enough time on the clock to get the equaliser - overall we certainly deserved a draw and they were on the rack.

"We now have Milton Keynes Dons and I hope we can pick up our first points.

"There has certainly been an improvement from week one to week two and without making excuses the results don't always tell the full story at youth level.

"There can be discrepancies between size, age, physical fitness and experience so that can alter the course of a game.

"Wimbledon will be tough and uncompromising and it will be a difficult game."