Micky Cook's Colchester United youngsters have been handed their greatest incentive to succeed yet by U's boss Steve Whitton.

"Prove to me your worth it and you'll get your chance," promised the Layer Road chief.

Whitton's pledge came little more than 48 hours after 17-year-old first year trainee Dean Morgan became one of the youngest players to make his U's League debut.

Morgan joined former Layer Road favourites Peter Barlow, Perry Groves and Lindsay Smith as the youngest players to don a U's first team shirt when he made his debut as an 88th-minute substitute in last Saturday's 2-0 home defeat against Division Two rivals Northampton.

Central defender Smith still holds the record when making his baptism of fire aged 16 years, 218 days in a Fourth Division outing at Grimsby on April 24, 1971.

Whitton, who is striving to find the right balance of youth and experience in his bid to make the U's successful, said yesterday (Tuesday): "Young Dean is a shining example of what I am looking for in a young player.

"He's got a knack of scoring goals for the youth team and the reserves and I'm looking for good things from him.

"Dean and the other youngsters have a chance to become our next Lomana Tresor Lua Lua. We need to develop and sell on good young players if Colchester United are to balance the books and survive at the level we are currently playing."

The U's boss added: "The opportunity is there for any of our young players to show what they are worth.

"Boys like 16-year-old Matt Hearn, Jack Wignall, Sam Okafor and KK Opara have already been involved with the first team squad.

"And there are others such as young striker Lloyd Opara - KK's brother and a first year YTS lad - and 15-year-old central defender Ross Crouch who are already chomping at the bit."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.