CINDERFORD United coach Paul Morris believes players from the club's colts team can be challenging for first-team places within a year.

Morris says the club is fully committed to getting more local boys into their top team and he wants to see a hard core of local lads involved with the firsts within a couple of seasons.

Morris said: "We have a special generation of colts players right now who have been together since they were seven or eight. Only time will tell if they are exceptional or not but I believe you could put them in the Gloucestershire Premier now and they would hold their own."

Colts such as Sam Watkins, Jake Bonser and Chance Ridler are already getting game time with the United team, who also train with the firsts.

Morris says the United team exists solely to provide players for the firsts.

"It's unreasonable to expect a town like Cinderford to supply 20-25 National League One players but we want to develop a lot more of our own players.

"We want local players to feel there are no barriers in front of them.

"It's not always easy getting the right players into the right teams – and there are some excellent lads in our Stags team too. We have left some of them alone because they currently play in a league and the United do not.

"We need to improve the United fixtures.

"Ideally we'd like them to be playing at a standard equivalent to National League Three."

Morris admits that in the past the progress of some talented players has been held up by other people joining the club with 'delusional aspirations'.

He said: "We won't turn anyone away who wants to play for Cinderford but we must ensure the pathway for good young players does not get clogged up."