AFC TOTTON extended their unbeaten run to four games at Paulton Rovers on Tuesday with a side that is getting younger by the week.

Their latest signing, 16-year-old loanee Matt Bozier from the Aldershot Town academy, made an encouraging debut in a 2-2 Southern One South & West draw at Winterfield Road.

“It’s Matt’s first adult football and he played the full 90 minutes,” reported Stags boss Louis Langdown.

“He’s a central midfielder, but we played him wide left to protect him a bit so he wasn’t getting smashed.

Langdown, who specialises in sports science, explained: “I went for a meeting with (Aldershot management team) Gary Waddock and James Rowe on Monday about taking sports science up there.

“We’ve arranged a friendly for the start of the season and when Gary said he’d got some young players to watch, I said we could do with bodies now. There’s another lad available, so the option's there if we need to go back.”

With an average age of 22 and six teenagers in the side, a point at Paulton was not to be sneezed at for the 18th-placed Stags.

But, having twice gone in front through Dave Allen and Alfy Whittingham and been convinced that young Callum Hellyar’s late effort had crossed the line, disappointment was the overriding feeling on the journey home from Somerset.

“It was a dejected dressing room,” said Langdown. “The lads appealed that Callum’s effort had gone over, but it wasn’t given.

“We led twice, but unfortunately two errors cost us two goals. But a young side is going to make mistakes and the lads will learn.

“Alfy Whittingham’s scored his first goal for us and to go long distance for two games on the spin and pick up four points (following a 2-0 win at Bridgwater) shows the club has come a long way in a short space of time.

"That’s two losses in eight now which is good for where we stand.”

Young Bozier will be handed a home debut on Saturday when the Stags welcome seventh-placed Mangotsfield United to the Testwood Stadium.

Experienced midfielder Neil Williams is touch and go with an ankle injury.