One of the biggest plus points from Stevenage's game with Gillingham was the sight of two of their young guns.

Ryan Doherty got the start in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy match at the Lamex and had an impressive hour in the 1-1 draw.

Lenny Brown was the other to get game time, coming on with five minutes to go of the 90 and almost marking it with a goal, his shot from the edge of the area blocked.

The sum of their performances was more than enough to keep manager Alex Revell smiling.

"Ryan's got real quality," said the gaffer, "but then he wouldn't be picked if he didn’t. 

"We've watched the FA Youth Cup, we've spoken to the academy and his performances have been at a level where it's consistent. 

"You look for that. Others his age have had good performances but then dropped. He’s kept his performances at a really good level. 

"He probably started the game slow but then he grew into it. That’s what he does when he trains, he grows into training. 

"I didn't think he looked out of place at all. 

"It was important to make sure that we took him off at the right time, and it looked like he was starting to tire with a couple of loose passes. 

"But it's really pleasing for everyone at the club to see him get introduced. 

"Lenny Brown came on as well, we had a young bench and to get him on the pitch was excellent. 

"He had a little moment where I thought it was written in the stars for him [to score]. 

"But it was a good performance from them both."

The two will be part of Boro's U18 squad that play in the FA Youth Cup second round on Monday.

The game against Cheltenham Town is being played at the Lamex and kicks-off at 7pm.