Motherwell boss Steven Hammell admits their friendly with Tottenham on Friday has shown some of the Fir Park youngsters are exceeding his expectations.
The Steelmen faced the English Premier League giants in London on Friday and although the Spurs side was missing a host of key players who were away on World Cup duty - including the likes of England's Harry Kane, French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Brazilian forward Richarlison - they still proved far too strong for the North Lanarkshire men.
Spurs ran out 4-0 winners at their Hotspur Training Ground as a double from former Hibs man Matt Docherty plus strikes from Dejan Kulusevski and Bryan Gil did the damage.
But the big positive for Hammell ahead of the Premiership returning on December 17 was how well his youngsters handled the challenge, with the likes of Wishaw native Lennon Miller, Luca Ross, Max Johnston and Ewan Wilson getting the last half hour or so.
And he admits they have given him food for thought going forward.
Hammell said: "It was great to see some of the boys here in the group and how they responded to playing against this level of player and I thought there were a few of them that are a wee bit further ahead than we originally thought.
"We ended up with a lot of 16-year-olds on the pitch, which was a great experience for them and they will be better for it. They conducted themselves very well.
"We highlighted before the game that it's not just an experience coming here and enjoying the surroundings and the level of player we were playing against, we wanted it to be more than that.
"A lot of it was good and overall the week as a whole has been really positive.
"It was a top team we were playing against, very high level.
"The facilities here and what they have at their disposal is quite impressive.
"There are some things in the game we could do better with but, overall, we are just looking at the positives."
The Steelmen have been on a break for the World Cup since November 12 and Hammell has been pleased with how their preparations are going ahead of hosting St Mirren next Saturday.
He added: "It was a good game for us to take on. It was good experience. We've had a really positive week and we've put a lot of good work in.
"It was much-needed.
"The players have been very strict with their individual programmes and the work we've been doing since we've been on the pitch.
"We are always looking to improve and strive towards perfection as much as we can. I am never going to be happy with where we are at, I'm always looking to progress."
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