WANDERERS Reserves manager Sam Hird is excited for the season ahead following his first taste of management.

Hird – who will take charge of the Whites’ new reserve side in the Central League - was pleased with his side’s performance in their 0-0 draw at Chester.

He was particularly pleased with how the young players approached the challenge of coming up against a men’s team.

“I enjoyed it, but it’s not about me, it’s about the group. It’s about the team that we’re putting together with this reserve team,” said the former Barrow man.

“I said to the lads before the game, ‘in reserve football, everybody has got a motivation to play, whether you’re a first team player getting fitness, whether you’re somebody who’s pushing for the first team, or whether you’re one of the young lads lucky enough to have the experience’. And I thought they all performed well tonight.

“I thought for large spells we dominated the ball but we didn’t really hurt them. I think we lacked that final pass or that final cross, that bit of end product. We didn’t really work their goalkeeper enough.

“But I thought, looking at the overall picture, I was pleased with our organisation, I was pleased with how for large periods we looked solid. Gilksy (Matt Gilks) has made one or two good saves, but we’ve got a young team out there really - we had a few experienced players but it’s a young group in general.

“And when you come to places like this it’s tough, they have seasoned pros. Some of them have worked their way down the leagues, some of them have been at this sort of level for a long time. Overall, I was happy with the night.”

The likes of Gilks, Dennis Politic, Ali Crawford, Ronan Darcy, Andrew Tutte and Brandon Comley were all in action at the Deva Stadium.

Ian Evatt has spoken about wanting the Reserve side to learn to play “the Bolton way”, and Hird believes playing alongside members of the first-team squad will have a big impact on the younger players.

He added: “(Chester) are a seasoned team, with no disrespect at all. I’ve played at this level for a short spell and they’re a seasoned team. The managers have put a good group together and I think they’ll do well this year.

“I think we gave a good account of ourselves and for large spells we controlled possession of the football, which is what we’re trying to get our lads to do. We’re trying to coach footballers.

“The aim for this reserve team is, for the first team and senior pros if they need minutes, or if players want to break into the first team, and the aim is to bridge that gap for the youth lads who are coming up so they know what we want.

“With the youth team guys like Mark (Litherland) who was here with me tonight, they know what we want and it’s now getting filtered down, and they know the philosophy and identity.”