Phil Parkinson keen to test out his young players on their Scotland tour

Phil Parkinson was pleased his side kept up a 100 per cent start to pre-season after taking an experimental approach at Arbroath.

The Wanderers boss gave the likes of Harry Brockbank, Cole Lonsdale, Jack Earing, Connor Hall and Jeff King an hour at Gayfield Park before sending on some of his more experienced heads to see out a 2-1 win.

Adam Le Fondre’s penalty was quickly levelled up by another spot kick from home striker Steven Doris – but the game was won when Hall’s powerful run and cross was deflected into his own net by Tom O’Brien.

“It was a good work-out,” said Parkinson. “First half we’d pieced a side together with a slightly different shape – we played a diamond just to accommodate the players we wanted to give 60 minutes.

“The other lads got another 30 minutes and I don’t think we picked up any injuries, so that’s important.

“I was just pleased to get through it unscathed.”

Parkinson is keen to test out the younger scholars this week in Scotland to see whether they are ready to make the step up to senior level, or perhaps go out on loan.

“It’s a steep learning curve,” he said. “We probably brought more players than we would normally but we’d decided to do that just to get a look at them among the group and see how they’d cope.

“I wanted to put them out there in men’s football. A lot of them have played Under-23s football but this is a different game altogether, it’s physical against sides like Arbroath and Chorley.

“There were some good performances and I think as the week goes on they will be more comfortable in their surroundings.”

Source

The kids seem unfazed by their promotion to the senior squad but I'm still left wondering why Samizadeh isn't amongst them given he is the club's top goalscorer who has already had a cameo performance for the first team and was sent out on loan to Chorley to toughen up last season - and proved himself capable of scoring in the senior game.
Not being selected for the tour is a step backwards for the lad so I'm wondering what Parky is thinking. And I'm wondering what Samizadeh is thinking too.

Alex Samizadeh is on Loan at Kilmarnock

BoltonTillIDie wrote:Alex Samizadeh is on Loan at Kilmarnock

I know - I was just wondering how much more experience does Parky think he needs before he gets an opportunity to mix it in the Championship again?

I'm the same as you Wander. Everyone I have spoken to speaks highly of him. I'm told he's still growing and a bit lightweight for the rigours of first team football but Zak Clough wasn't all that big and he did okay.

Reebok Trotter wrote:lightweight for the rigours of first team football but Zak Clough wasn't all that big and he did okay.

spot on.

From what I have seen of him in the U23's last couple of years I am not sure he is growing, he is exceptionally small and I think he would be found out playing centrally as was Clough. Certainly cant play a loan striker / target man role so would be back up to ALF or would need to play out wide as Clough did on the left.

I don't think he has the ability with the ball at his feet that Clough had although he seems to have thenack of getting on the end of chances and hitting the odd wonder strike, bit of a goal poacher, needs to develop his all round game more before he has enough to be considered for the first team.