Simon Clark praised the make up of his under-18s side, as they saw off Stevenage to book a place in the FA Youth Cup third round.
In particular, centre backs Riley Horan and Leo Young, along with midfielder and opening goal scorer Harry Sidwell, were the triangle at the heart of the team that earned yet another home tie - with Blackburn Rovers up next.
“That triangle is massive for us,” said Simon. “You add to that Max Foulkes in goal and with the way that they played it was really important that we got as much control as possible."
Watch reaction and listen to the thoughts of Simon Clark and Ollie Downs below.
“I thought Harry Sidwell was really good, he played with a really good rhythm, moved the ball and doesn’t take risks.
“They play with two very strong strikers, with their backs to goal and they hit them all the time. It gives them a platform to play. As a back four and a midfield two that played a little bit out of position - I thought those six were really important for us tonight.”
Kai Jennings, who wore the captain’s arm band for the victory over Cambridge United in the previous round, gave us a two-goal cushion before half-time. Simon explained why it was Leo Young though who skippered the team this time around.
“It’s a monthly thing,” said Simon. “My staff and I talk about potential captains. Leo will do it for a month, and we’ve also had Harry and Kai do the job for a month each."
“I just thought it was good for Leo and his standing within the group to be captain for November. December will be different again. We’re looking to develop leaders. To have a captain for the whole season is great for one person, but we’ve got a squad of twenty players that we want to have that onus and emphasis on being a leader.”
Ollie Downs returned from injury, having missed the last round, to be a part of that back four.
“It was tough as towards the end I had a bit of cramp,” said Ollie. “I haven’t played 90 minutes in quite a while. It was a great shift from the lads though, to be fair. It was a bit rocky towards the end, but we held our own.
“The back four of Bailey Cotton, Riley, Leo and I are coming together. Communication is important and I think we’ve improved a lot in that sense. I feel really solid and with Youngy there really secure too. We’ll keep building on it."
“Like Leo and Tom Wilson, I’ve been with the academy a long time. We’re kind of like a group of brothers. I know them on and off the pitch really well and I think you can see that with me and Youngy out there. I kind of know where he is before I hear the shout from him.
“I thought Max Foulkes was outstanding. I’ve so much trust in him that even when the ball is going over my head and I hear him shout his name - I knew that he was going to catch it. His distribution as well was brilliant.”
Photos: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images).