Listening to the commentators during the Wrexham game and they mentioned that a couple of the Wrexham players had a run out for their reserve team midweek to improve their match fitness which got me thinking that when Town don’t have a midweek game how do our fringe players and subs keep their match fitness and awareness when all they do is train during the week and keep the bench warm during games. I remember going to watch town reserves years ago when you would get a lot of first team players playing, is this something that the club needs to do to move forward now we have a decent pitch at BP ?

Quoted from Spurn boy

Listening to the commentators during the Wrexham game and they mentioned that a couple of the Wrexham players had a run out for their reserve team midweek to improve their match fitness which got me thinking that when Town don’t have a midweek game how do our fringe players and subs keep their match fitness and awareness when all they do is train during the week and keep the bench warm during games. I remember going to watch town reserves years ago when you would get a lot of first team players playing, is this something that the club needs to do to move forward now we have a decent pitch at BP ?

It’s not Town’s fault but removal of a proper reserve team programme & league like we had when I first started supporting Town in the 70s is the most stupidest thing over.

Hurst was asked about this at one of the fans forum last year.

The short of it is that the reserve league as a format is now dead in the water as collectively the competitive element has been taken out of it.  Clubs don't see it as a meaningful event and are reluctant to put fringe players and those coming back from injury in games for fear of injuries/further set-backs.  

As a result it ends up as a glorified youth team friendly.  Previously you could blood a few young lads in those games and get their experience against men up a bit.  But now they're just playing against their age group peers.

I used to really enjoy the reserve fixtures but the last couple of seasons that we were in the league the fixtures were so few and far between but really low key affairs with no real competitive element.  

Don't blame the club at all for stepping away from the league.  I think the format is pretty dead in the water.

I remember watching Ivano Bonnetti make his town debut for the reserves in1995 along with another Italian who I can’t remember his name, over 3,000 fans turned up that night.

Gambarrrrro, or something similar, I think?

Luca Pellegrini from Torino

Quoted from Spurn boy

I remember watching Ivano Bonnetti make his town debut for the reserves in1995 along with another Italian who I can’t remember his name, over 3,000 fans turned up that night.

Phil Stamp hatrrick for the boro