HAVING a free Saturday enabled us to go and take a look at Rotherham, our next opponents, playing at Shrewsbury.

So we got a good insight into what they are about and what we will be up against.

This week, then, will feature a lot of work geared to the game this Saturday.

Last week was very worthwhile, too. We managed to play two games within the week and everybody played in some part of those games.

Adam Bartlett has played almost two and a half games in quick succession.

He has looked so sharp and so focused in what he has been doing – he’s certainly put himself in the frame now.

With Dave Cornell having come in and done so well, Adam has been sitting on the sidelines watching the games and must have been thinking ‘right, I’m really going to work hard and get back’.

He has worked very hard, looked very good and is pushing for a start in the next couple of weeks.

Last Friday, we went up to Wigan to watch the youth team.

It was a disappointment that the boys did not get a chance to play in the main JJB Stadium, although I can understand why Wigan did not want to use it.

But the FA Youth Cup is the same for the youngsters as the FA Cup is for us; we all want to pull out a big tie and I’m disappointed that they did not get a chance to play in a Premier League stadium.

Although it looks like a hammering at 4-0, our lads did themselves justice and had chances early on. They have done themselves credit this year.

It’s difficult for me to be involved on match-days with the youth team as we mostly play on the same day, but we try to bring them into our sessions from time to time so that they can learn with us and get to train with first-team players.

At all clubs, not just ours, I do not believe that the young players get to play, train and understand and learn the game as much as they should.

There is very much a technical element to it these days but I would love to see them play, be involved more with adult football and really understand and learn the game.

Understanding is vital to those youngsters coming through and breaking into first-teams earlier.

Because of our early-season injuries, Louis Feely, Nathan Perkins and Tom John were involved in the first-team and Tom even came on at Villa Park, albeit just for a short period.

Running out there in front of more than 20,000 people is something he will remember for the rest of his life. It was a massive thing for me when I made my first-team debut for Swindon at Wolves and something that sticks in your mind for ever.

If I can give those boys that sort of opportunity, then great because it’s important for them and for the club that they are developed in that way.

Saturday will be another tough one for us against a big side who certainly know how to go about their game.

But we have gradually improved, even though results have not gone our way.

We should have beaten Burton and, at Crewe, their manager suggested that they defended very well which indicates that we were doing something right.

We could easily have had four points from those two games and looked in a much more positive position.

That’s not happened so we just have to learn from those experiences to make sure that we get better.