SHOLING will give some young players a run-out as they go in search of a Sydenhams League Cup quarter-final berth at Ringwood Town tonight.

Several of the Boatmen’s thriving development squad have been in and around the first-team squad over the last couple of seasons.

Manager Dave Diaper cannot promise to play them every game, but they are racking up valuable Wessex experience at just 17 and 18 years of age.

“With kids, they’re not going to play well every game, there will be peaks and troughs,” said the boss. “But we’ve played quite a number of young players this season and what they’ve got to think of is that (top scorer) Dan Mason didn’t make the first team until he was 21, so they’re getting a three or four-year start on him – and they’re learning all the time, which is good.”

Master marksman Mason hoisted his season’s tally to 22 on Saturday as Sholing edged past Whitchurch 1-0 to go second in the Premier Division.

They leapfrogged Blackfield whose shock 4-0 home defeat to Bashley demonstrated, yet again, the unpredictability of this season’s title race.

“That was unbelievable, particularly with Blackfield at home, but this is a real tough league with seven or eight teams possibly looking to win it,” said Diaper. “Some of the results don’t make sense. We went to Horndean and got beat 3-1, we won 6-0 at Amesbury and then Amesbury beat Horndean 5-2!

“There have been shocks in the League Cup too.”

Sholing are still without Barry Mason (ankle) and Jack Smith (knee) while big defender Pete Castle is waiting for a scan on a swollen knee which could keep him out until after Christmas.