Ian Hendon admitted to having mixed feelings following Tuesday's 3-2 development squad defeat at Ipswich Town.
On the plus side, Matt Taylor made a goalscoring return from injury and Hendon's young side produced a spirited and lively display against a much more experienced Ipswich team. Meanwhile, young defender Dan Potts caught the eye with another promising performance.
However, the coach was disappointed with the nature of the three goals his players conceded in 14 second half minutes to concede their half-time advantage. Although Freddie Sears pulled a goal back with 20 minutes remaining, it was not enough to avoid defeat.
"You always have a look at the opposition when you come to these games and they have got good strength in depth at Ipswich," said Hendon, alluding to an Ipswich team that contained the likes of Republic of Ireland internationals Mark Kennedy and Daryl Murphy, former Wigan Athletic striker Nathan Ellington and Iceland international midfielder Teddy Bjarnason.
"They had two experienced players up front in the first half in Ellington and Murphy, who are big and strong lads, and young Pottsy has played against them and that will be a great experience for him because they are proper league players.
"The stronger the teams we play against the better it is. We learn far more from playing against their capabilities than we do from some of the other games we play. It's a learning curve for the players.
"I spoke to their manager after the game and he was delighted with the tempo and competitive nature of the game. That's what we want - we don't want to play teams from the lower leagues and roll them over every week. It was a good game.
"They were definitely stronger than us on paper but we gave a good account of ourselves and put up a fight. In the end we could have come away with a draw or even won. I'm disappointed because I always am when we lose but it was a good, competitive game and we got a lot from it.
"I think there were reasons why we conceded three goals which we've already spoken about. We will have a look on the DVD and go through them, will have a look at them and see what we can learn from.
"I've an idea where they came from so we'll have a look at them and work on it."
Hendon was happy with the application shown by his players, singling out the returning Taylor and improving Potts for special praise.
The development coach believes the naturally fit Taylor is ready to return to first-team duty, while the ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient defender is excited about the development of 17-year-old Potts.
"Matt is one of those players who can be out and can come straight back in. He's a lean lad there is not much of him.
"He's a fit boy and he didn't look like he'd been missing at all. It was good to get 70 minutes under his belt and he also scored a header at the far post as well, so I'm pleased for him.
"Pottsy does well in the air. He is still a young lad and is still learning. It's up to him how far he takes it. He's got ability, that's for sure. It was a good test for him and he came through it well.
"I've seen him play centre-back in the youth team before and he's played there in development games earlier in the season. He can play centre-half and we know he can play left-back but at the moment we've got Jordan Brown there as well. We'll just fit him in and he's doing all right.
"Versatility is not a bad thing at a young age. As he gets older I'm sure we'll nail a position down for him and that's where he will play. At the moment, it doesn't hurt him playing in various different positions.
"If he is a left-back in the future, he'll know what the centre-backs expect of him."