Mick Ede was delighted with Port Vale's performance in the 1-1 draw with local rivals Stoke City.
Vale took the lead into the break through a goal from Ryan Lloyd but Peter Skapetis equalised for the Stoke in the second half to give both sides a point in the round robin competition.
Michael O’Connor enjoyed an hour of competitive football on his return to action after the knee injury he sustained in pre-season.
Speaking to the media after the game, Ede said: “I think they have done really well, we are unbeaten still with the reserves this year which is good for them.
“I think if we had nicked another goal in the first half we might have gone on a bit more but we are very pleased.
“The football we played in the first half was good, it was attractive and we created a few chances.
“In the second half we lost a couple of players but we ended up with five youth team players on the pitch and that is absolutely great experience for them.”
He was also delighted with the influence that returning midfielder, O’Connor had on the game, especially in the first half.
“Michael is a fantastic pro, he is come in there and the idea was to give him as many minutes and as much game time as we can.
“It is his first game for a while, 60 minutes under his belt, 60 minutes under Chrissy Birchall’s belt and that’s the reason why we do it.”
Ede also added his thoughts on the added spice that the local rivalry brought to the game, especially as Vale won the last meeting between the clubs, 3-0.
“They were after a little bit of revenge, which is understandable.
“We don’t often get the chance to play this local derby and that’s fantastic for both clubs.
“I think in the first half we were the better side and deserved to be 1-0 up.
“In the second half, it evened out a bit and towards the end we weren’t hanging on but they came and had a really good go in that last 20 minutes.”