Alex Dyer's reserves will look to continue their superb start to the new Barclays Premier Reserve League season when Wigan Athletic visit on Tuesday night.
The competitive contest, due to be played at the Ship Lane home of south Essex club Thurrock FC, will get under way at 7pm. It follows the terrific 1-0 season opener at Everton a fortnight ago, when Junior Stanislas scored the only goal of a match dominated by first-team regulars and the brightest prospects on both sides.
The reserves then won 4-3 against Tottenham in a friendly last week, with Freddie Sears scoring a hat-trick at Spurs Lodge. Dyer could once again have a mixture of youth and experience at his disposal this week as he looks to guide the second string to another success. The reserves have tasted defeat just once in the last eight outings.
"This is reserve-team football and I want it to be done properly," he said. "I hate it when people say to me 'It's just reserves and it's all about developing the lads'. Of course it is about bringing them through, but part of their development is learning how to win games."
Dyer's squad could be boosted by the presence of a host of players with first-team experience, including James Tomkins, Jonathan Spector and Everton match-winner Stanislas.
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