Youth will be allowed to flourish at Bognor Regis Town, vows Robbie Blake

The Rocks manager has introduced under 18 players such as Danny Howick, Joe Briffa and Tom Holland to first team action and says he is keen to continue to develop the pathway for prospects.

Blake says he wants to strike a balance where his squad has a main corps of experienced players sprinkled with talented hopefuls as he assess the remaining fixtures but with an eye on a summer of recruitment and the new season.

Rocks go in to the clash with the Essex outfit on the back of a 2-0 reverse at Bishop's Stortford but with an away day victory at Potters Bar Town before that. And Blake said: "We had seven or so teenagers involved at Stortford and gave them a hard game and in truth we weren't far off them at all. And considering they are going for the title it shows you we are getting there but, of course, it will take time.

Rocks boss looking to future after Stortford defeat.

"We're a club that is incredibly well run and is a credit to the town but the reality is that we don't necessarily have the budget of other clubs in our area who are all looking to recruit the same players.

"So, it makes perfect sense for us to be clever where we have to spend some money but at the same time look to the youngsters coming through our youth system and Danny, Joe and Tom are great examples. And there are more players who we have our eye on, too.

"Jamie (Howell) has a great knowledge of who is coming through and we want to show these youngsters there is a path for them and encourage them to continue with their development to then play for us and who knows after that as they hopefully flourish.

"We also have the benefit of having David Birmingham with us in the dugout these days and he has brought an extra dimension to our set-up, plus we now have excellent post-match tactical analysis thanks to Russ Chandler, so it's all very encouraging."

Blake won't be able to call on influential central defender Craig Robson for a few more weeks yet as he continues to recover from a broken finger and Isaac Olaniyan still needs more time to recover from a shoulder injury. But skipper Harvey Whyte is nearing a return from an enforced spell on the side lines and Pompey loanee Alfie Bridgman is back in the squad after a stint on youth international duty with Malta.

Blake added: "We go again against Billericay and we expect the same levels of work rate, commitment and endeavour that we have witnessed of late and we are hopeful of performing well and let’s see if we can get a positive result."