Speaking exclusively to bwfc.co.uk, David Lee admitted his delight at the efforts of his XI side in their first pre-season encounter away at Atherton Collieries on Wednesday evening.
The game saw the scoring opened by the home side late on in the first half, while Wanderers were level shortly after the restart through Cole Lonsdale.
Then proceeding to take the lead through Ryan White, a Colls leveller minutes later ensured that the spoils were shared come the full time whistle.
Despite this however, Lee was full of praise for his side – which featured a number of trialists alongside Ben Amos, Jack Earing and Connor Hall.
“I thought all the lads performed very well against a good Atherton side," he said.
“For Atherton, it’s always going to be a bit of a cup final with the prospect of a scalp against Bolton Wanderers, but our lads were very resolute, played some good football and stuck at it.
“Of course, they’re going to make mistakes but that’s football and they’ll learn from it.
“You always want to play as many games as you can in pre-season and unfortunately due to circumstances this is the first match we’ve been able to play so far.
“We’ve had a number of trialists with us and with that in mind, we’ve only had two training sessions together prior to the game itself.
“It’s all about recognising raw talent at the moment and giving them their chance to shine at the football club and many of them will grasp that opportunity with both hands.”
Lee also reserved special recognition for Lonsdale and his 30-yard wonder strike – an effort which received applause from both sets of fans, such was its impressive nature.
“It was definitely a special hit from Cole – he’d actually done similar a couple of times in the run-up to the game itself, so he’s certainly capable of it.
“I was really pleased for him though – it was a great strike and hopefully he’ll be able to pop up with a few more of those this season.”
Alongside the stewardship of Lee, those figuring for the XI on Wednesday night were also watched by first team manager Phil Parkinson – something which the former winger believes will only stand his youngsters in good stead.
“It speaks volumes about the club when the manager comes to cast his eyes over the younger lads in games like this and it gives everybody a boost,” he explained.
“It’s a very good support mechanism and at the end of the day, it will be of a benefit for him in the long run as they aim to break into the first team set-up.
“The togetherness of the club is great and it’s always nice to see the manager here.”
He continued, “Pre-season isn’t about results, although people will look at the final score – it’s about individuals getting the minutes under their belts and allowing the trialists to prove themselves.
“It’s been a well-worth outing for us in that respect and it gives us a basis to learn from and improve heading into the new season.”