HAVING watched his Latchford Albion side return to winning ways on Friday, head coach Martyn Ellis has expressed excitement about the potential of the young players that made up much of his team.

Albion were 20-16 winners at Shevington Sharks having made a decisive grab for the game in the second half.

Ben Harper marked his first game at full-back for almost two years with a double, with Dec Rourke and Logan Lagar also touching down.

They had to hold on for a nervy final few minutes, but hold on they did to the delight of their head coach.

“That result was a great reward for a group of lads who stick together and never give up,” he said.

“We have suffered a horrendous injury list recently, which has meant more of our under 18s having to step up and they showed was a stunning future the club has.

“The plan was to gradually introduce them to open-age rugby, but circumstances have meant they have probably played a lot more minutes than anticipated and I have seen them grow in such a short space of time.

“I had Lewis Johnston moving to 6 in only his third ever open-age game, Jack McCarthy making his debut alongside Logan Lagar and Harrison Cliffe, who are improving with every game but have less than 20 open age appearances between them.

“The hard work the junior coaches put in has allowed such a smooth transition and it’s exciting to see how far these young lads will go. “

Albion’s next game sees them welcome Heysham Atoms to Victoria Park on Saturday, kick off 2.30pm.