B Team boss Matt Craddock hailed his side’s “bravery” during their 1-1 draw against Lancaster – and insists it is an important part of their development.

Summer signing Trevon Bryan gave the young Whites an early lead with a thumping strike from outside the box.

But the hosts hit back through a composed finish from a trialist after Lamine Toure gave the ball away in his own half.

“Overall, I was pleased for the lads because I think we showed what we are capable of,” the manager explained.

“I feel that sometimes we probably haven’t got what we deserved, and I thought we deserved at least a draw.

“We’re obviously disappointed that we gave the goal away but I thought we showed some good passages of play.

“We were brave on the ball and if we are going to develop players who can handle the ball, we will have to take risks at times.

“When you are under a press from men who are really physical and clever, I think we showed some real bravery to get on the ball and keep doing it. There are loads of things I am really pleased about.”

Max Conway, Matt Tweedley, Nelson Khumbeni, Arran Pettifer, Sam Inwood and Toure all featured for the first team at Curzon Ashton on Tuesday night.

This meant that Wanderers finished with a young side at Lancaster while Craddock managed their workload.

“That was really pleasing,” he added. “We knew that to make sure that the players are managed correctly, we were going to have to use a lot of players. We finished with a few trialists on and a really young side.

“The last half an hour is probably a testament to people like Finlay Lockett, Sam Inwood and Sonny Sharples - regulars in the B Team who drove the standards with their work rate and intensity, which helped us stay in the game.

“To finish with such a young team and still be competitive - and still try to play in the right way - it is pleasing.”