Stevenage first team manager Darren Sarll was disappointed to see his young guns get knocked out of the Herts Senior Cup on Tuesday night.

The youthful Boro XI were beaten 1-0 at SSML Premier Division Leverstock Green with the only goal scored by Lewis Davis just after the hour mark.

Sarll, the club’s former head of academy, was a spectator for the clash and used the game to see what some of Boro’s young players are made of.

He said: “It was nice to lean over the fence and watch the game away from the dugout.

“When I send the youth team to play Leverstock Green away, really we are testing their character, testing to see whether they can adapt to conditions that are worse than what they are used to, whether they can show a supremacy over a side that we should be better than.

“It’s a message of realism to the youth team to say ‘if you don’t’ knuckle down, do what you should do and take the opportunity that you have got here you could be playing here’.”

“It’s to show humility, a real character and hunger and a desire, some did on the evening, some didn’t, and it was a disappointing result.

“Credit to Leverstock Green they had the best individual player on the night and as a team they worked very hard, fair play to them.”

With Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland youth players such as Nathan Kerr, Liam Brady, Michael Cregan and Mark McKee in the squad, Sarll felt his side should have secured a victory.

“I think we had probably four international footballers on the pitch, it should have been enough,” he added.

“It’s going to be a big test now for the youth team to see what they do Saturday and whether they can overcome the disappointment.

“They need to strengthen in their character and resolve, but they have some talented players, good coaches, that fire has to come from within.

“It was an important test that I witnessed, I’m glad I went.”