Preston North End's reserve team boss David Unsworth reflects after a hectic reserves campaign comes to an end with several positives on the year.

Unsworth has overseen the development of many of North End's youngsters, the reserve spotlight offering the opportunity for the latest crop of second year scholars to secure professional contracts with the Club.

"It has been a long campaign," Unsworth said after the league campaign ended with the Blackpool game at Deepdale.

"It has been a busy end of the season and it has been a big ask, to ask all these players who have played every reserve game and every youth team game, to keep doing it.

"To have five U16s to come and make an impact in games like they have done in the last couple of months has been excellent. The likes of Neil Dougan, Conor McLoughlin, Jamie Proctor and George Miller have come through the reserves this year, they have started off a little shaky but have gradually got better and better so we are delighted with them.

"Hopefully next year we will have a little look at it and try and pan the reserve team games out a little bit better than we have done this year. Maybe get a few in earlier on in the season as opposed to just cramming them all in at the end. You always know that come the winter months the pitches that we tend to play on are going to get called off, so if we can squeeze a few more in at the start of the season we might not have this fixture back-log at the end of next season."

Whilst the reserve side has predominantly been made up of youngsters this season, Unsworth has indicated that there may be changes for the next campaign including the inclusion of more first team players.

"A lot of teams these days don't field a reserve team and without that this year we wouldn't have seen the progression that they have made," Unsworth said.

"I think things will be a little bit different next year. The Gaffer wants his first team players who aren't playing week-in-week-out to play in the reserves, to just keep that sharpness, to give them an hour every other week.

"We should have enough first team players in the reserves next year and that should help these younger players come through because it is still a big ask because they are still at a very early."

Unsworth was at Deepdale on Wednesday as his side battled against an experienced Blackpool outfit, the big positive of the game being the return of Barry Nicholson from injury.

Unsworth said: "Baz has come through unscathed, he did really well, his touch was there, he won some tackles, he drove forward, he should have scored when he had a couple of shots, but we are all delighted for him, we welcome him back and it is great to see him back.

"The hours that Baz has worked in the gym on his own, day after day, it has been a real journey for him. He's one of the nicest guys you will ever wish to meet and some of the lads from the first team were here watching him and that's the kind of impact he's had on the place, he's a top pro and nobody has worked harder. He's come through it with no problems.

"Wayne Henderson was involved. I am sure he will be playing on Sunday so he needed that little game there to get him focused and get him going again. Hendo was fine, he was talking all the way through, he is a top pro and we are very lucky in that respect in that the lads who have come down to the reserves this year have really helped the young lads and it was great having Wayne behind what was a very young team today."

The Lilywhites were defeated 3-1 against the Tangerines but Unsworth was far from dejected after seeing his youngsters not look out of place against a team of first team professionals.

"We looked at their team and we looked at ours and we said that we didn't want to get a battering and we had no divine right to be in the game like we did, we shouldn't really have touched the ball.

"We have got some decent young players and they competed, to finish with five U16s against virtually half of their first team, it's great credit to the club and we are delighted with that."