Dario Gradi’s faith in his young players was justified on Saturday as his match-day squad of 18 included 8 players who have come through Alex’s Academy in recent years.
And with Luke Murphy and Matt Tootle making notable contributions alongside a scoring substitute appearance from AJ Leitch-Smith, Alex were able to register their first win of the campaign in emphatic style over an under par Barnet XI.
The 7-0 home success has given Gradi cause for optimism over the coming weeks, he said:
“We haven’t done a great deal this year but I think we have improved the team with the slight changes that we’ve made,” he said.
“The players are working hard, they’re with me and I’m with them. That’s more important than any of us being with the supporters. We’ve got to be together and we are.”
“If people can stay free of injuries and people like Ajay [Leitch-Smith], Byron [Moore] and Murph [Luke Murphy] can come on then we’ve got a chance of doing something,” he added.
