Rohdell Gordon says Teddy Sheringham’s belief in the club’s younger players is a ‘huge confidence boost’ for him and his team-mates.

The 19-year-old, pictured, played more than an hour in Saturday’s win over Hartlepool United, and was one of four teenagers who started the game for Boro.

While Stevenage’s squad remains light in some areas, the chance of first team football has been offered to the likes of Gordon, Dale Gorman and Dipo Akinyemi – and they aim to make the most of it.

Saturday’s match was only a second start for the club for Gordon, with his last one coming against Bristol City in April 2014. Now the winger says he hopes to repay the faith that Sheringham and his coaching staff have shown in him and his fellow academy graduates.

“I’ve played with Dale for a couple of years, and I’ve also played with Dipo. It’s good to see that we’re all coming through now,” Gordon told the Comet.

“The gaffer puts his trust in young players, and if you’re good enough you can play.

“That’s what [younger players] need, a management [team] that doesn’t mind how old you are as long as you’re good enough.

“It’s a confidence boost having a manager that trusts us.”

Gordon spent a year on loan at Chelmsford City last season, where he made more than 30 appearances, and although some other academy players were let go at the end of last season he had shown enough to be kept on by Stevenage.

The teenager picked up an injury in the summer which has limited his appearances to just one start so far, but now fully fit he aims to push on.

“I had a hamstring injury which kept me out for about four weeks, but now I want to try to implement what I do on the training ground on the pitch,” he says.

“Originally I was on loan at Chelmsford for six months but that was extended, and I enjoyed it there.

“I played 30-odd games and it was good to have that first team experience. I’ve now got to try to carry that on higher up the leagues.”

Gordon, who says that Boro have put in some good performances this season without necessarily getting the results, added: “Playing well is not good enough. We need points on the board and need to win games. We hope to be up there this season.

“We have got a good team here, good management. Hopefully we’ve shown that we can win games against sides that are doing well and we can carry that on for the season.”