Assistant manager Stuart Taylor says midfielder Brett McGavin has benefited from the opportunities Town have given young players in the Papa John’s Trophy over the last couple of seasons.
The Blues are again set to continue their policy of fielding very young sides when the take on Crawley Town at the Broadfield Stadium on Tuesday evening in their final group game.
McGavin, 20, was one of the standout performers in Saturday’s FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth, his fifth senior start with three of them, including his debut at Colchester last season, having come in the competition known earlier this season as the EFL Trophy and last term as the Leasing.com Trophy.
The Bury-born midfielder didn’t have an ideal preparation for Saturday’s 120 minutes against Pompey having been sent home ahead of last Tuesday’s game with Sunderland having reported what potentially might have been symptoms of Covid-19.
"Considering that he did practically nothing all week [he did really well],” Taylor said.
"He was involved during the week on Tuesday but he got sent home just before the game because he was feeling a few sniffles and a cough, so as the club has always done, we’ve not taken any chances, stuck to the protocols, making sure we’re better safe than sorry.
"He’d done nothing, sat at his house waiting for his result [which was negative] to come through. He did a little bit on the grass on Friday so for him to be sitting about the house all week, he did very well on Saturday.
"He’s a good player, very comfortable on the ball, he’s got good awareness about him as well and he’s the right type. Great attitude about him and he did very well.”
McGavin appeared well down the pecking order for a central midfield place earlier in the season but injuries to Cole Skuse and Flynn Downes and then suspensions for Jon Nolan and now Andre Dozzell have elevated the academy product into the first-team picture.
Taylor says McGavin’s readiness for the senior side has been helped by his experience in Trophy ties.
"I think it shows the benefits of this tournament where we can play people like him,” Taylor said.
"Brett last year played a couple of games and then he has the opportunity to go and play in the FA Cup this season.
"That’s the benefit of it and people might say that playing the younger kids is disrespectful but that’s just nonsense because if you’re doing it in the right manner, as we’re doing it.
"It’s just showing that the experience from last year, Brett playing in it, Saturday actually showed today the reason why we go and do it.”
Whether McGavin is involved tomorrow is in question given his 120 minutes at the weekend and need to keep him fit for the upcoming league games with Dozzell suspended for the next two.
Asked whether McGavin could come in and fill Dozzell's deep-lying midfield role for those games, Taylor said: "We’ve played against Portsmouth who are a League One club who should be up there at the end of the season, so he’s shown with his performance on Saturday that he’s capable of doing it.
"And the reason why he played is because there’s a belief from the manager and us all that we know he can do it.
"So it doesn’t really change that situation at all because the belief was always there before the game and his performance on Saturday has proved that he can go and do it.
"It’s good for the club going forward and it’s certainly good for Brett as well.”