RUSS Wilcox has hailed the emergence of York City’s young guns following 17-year-old Ben Godfrey’s confident first-team debut.

Former Archbishop Holgate pupil Godfrey played the first 68 minutes of City’s 1-0 victory over Yeovil on Tuesday night, having been part of the club’s matchday squad for every fixture this term.

The second-year scholar will now be making the long trip for to Exeter for Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two clash, while Bootham Crescent boss Wilcox was also impressed by first-year pro Callum Rzonca’s display this week during a 1-0 behind-closed doors victory against Leeds United under-21s.

Highly-rated U16s keeper Ryan Whitley, meanwhile, has just returned from his second England training camp at the FA’s St George’s Park headquarters and, on the club’s crop of talented teenagers, Wilcox said: “It takes time to establish a good academy and we’re still making short steps but I’m a manager who doesn’t mind how old you are – if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

“Ben’s only 17 but he has been with us for a while now and is showing signs that he can be a good player. He’s still got lots to learn but he’s strong mentally and that’s important.

“You get a lot of good, young footballers but it’s often mastering the mental side that makes the difference like how you react when you receive a rocket from senior players. Ben can handle that and he has good leadership qualities.

“He has done from the first day he came to work with us. Callum Rzonca also performed superbly well against Leeds U21s and he’s in my thoughts as well.

“We’ve got our young goalkeeper on England’s radar as well, which is great and, hopefully, we’ll see more coming through into the first-team squad.”

Luke Summerfield could be fit enough to replace Godfrey in Devon after missing out against Yeovil due to a badly-bruised leg and Wilcox has also stressed the importance of managing the latter’s development correctly.

In that respect, the City chief will draw on his experience of nurturing Scunthorpe teenager Hakeeb Adelakum, who broke into the Iron team at the same age and went on to make 28 appearances – eight from the start – as the Glanford Park outfit won promotion from League Two in 2014.

“You have to weigh things up on a match-by-match basis with young players and also see how they are fatigue wise,” Wilcox explained. “With Hakeeb, I would put him in, then take him out and put him on the bench for a few games and, if Luke Summerfield is fit, Ben has also got major competition in that midfield area, to stay in the team.”

Emile Sinclair played his first football since suffering a thigh injury at Accrington in March during a 45-minute outing in the Leeds match when a youth-team trialist scored the winning goal.

It is also hoped Michael Coulson will be back in contention next month after having undergone surgery on his groin problem, while Wilcox stressed that all other available players must be ready to feature during a punishing four-day schedule that will see the team make two long back-to-back journeys to the South-West to take on Exeter and Premier League Swansea in the Capital One Cup.

He added: “Our squad could come into play with the two long trips because the last thing you want is fatigue but, for now, everybody is fully concentrated on Exeter. Nobody has mentioned the Swansea game yet – not the players or staff.”