Curle impressed by youngsters as Cobblers are given a useful workout in practice match

Keith Curle was pleased with the efforts of both his own players and the youth team after the two sides played one other in an inter-club match at the PTS Academy Stadium on Wednesday.

Harry Smith scored a first-half hat-trick and Mark Marshall smashed home a sweet volley, while one of Town's three trialists was also on target in a 5-0 victory.

"We had a little bit of a mixture of teams out there but it's all about getting minutes into players," said Curle.

"This was a free today and it wasn't about working too much on our fundamentals, it was purely about getting the legs going and getting the distances covered.

"We were playing against the youth team so we let them have an extra man on the pitch so the distances were different but it was important to get the players in work mode."

Goalkeeper Dylan Berry made a couple of good stops for the youth team while Caleb Chukwuemeka caught the eye up front, and Curle was impressed by what he saw.

"Credit to the young lads as well," he added. "I enjoyed watching them play. It's the first time I've been able to watch them in a competitive game and some of them took my eye.

"I spoke to the youth team players after the game and without naming individuals I told them that there were things I liked.

"There is a pathway here to get from the away team changing room as a youth team player into the first team changing room as a professional footballer and it's about getting that understanding and mindset to get on that pathway.

"It was an opportunity for them because we set high standards and demand high standards and every day is a chance to improve and that's the work ethic that we want from the younger players coming into the building."