Paul Trollope believes the opportunities given to youth over the course of last season will stand the club in good stead for years to come.

The first team coach watched his young squad stutter towards the end of the 2007/08 campaign, having endured a decent enough start and an impressive FA Cup run.

But Paul says it's important fans remember the average age within the first team is now lower that it has been for some considerable time, a statistic he believes will benefit the club in the longer term.

"Over the last few weeks of the season there were a lot of young men out on the pitch, and we ended up in some games with six or seven players under the age of 22," Paul told bristolrovers.co.uk.

"That's good for the future of the football club, although with that there are some inconsistencies that are bound to happen in the short term.

"We saw some individuals become a little untidy in their play, but they will learn from the last 12 months and be better footballers for it.

"We want the players to have benefited from the experience of the season, and I believe they have done. It's the way we're trying to take the club forward, and I believe the players we have here can take us to where we want to go.

"It does mean that at times, as we have seen, there will be matches where things don't always go our way, but in the longer term the squad of players we have here will take Bristol Rovers in the right direction, and that means the top half of League One and then the Championship."