MORTON boss Jim Duffy says he’s pleased with the club’s youth system for producing a number of talented youngsters — but he won’t rush into blooding the kids in competitive games for the sake of it.

Jai Quitongo, Scott Tiffoney and Lewis Strapp are just three names to have benefited from Ton’s development squad, having all been debuted in the first team by Duffy.

But the manager insists he’ll only continue to give kids a chance when he feels they are truly ready for it.

He told the Tele: “We’ve got some very decent young players here and it’s important we acknowledge that. But we also have to get the best of both worlds and look around to see what’s available to us.

“No youth system is perfect but for ours being a fledgling system in football terms, it’s very young, so for us to have players coming through and knocking on the door in the first team is a terrific testimony to the hard work that has been done over the last five years or so.

“It’s difficult to throw young players in because everyone has objectives and targets. Ultimately you’re not judged by how many young boys you’ve promoted, but by results. 

“Expectations rise and players have to be able to cope with the difficult demands.

“They can look good at development level but from that level to competitive Championship level is a massive jump. You have to be patient with them, but sometimes you can take a risk.”