Harry Kewell was impressed with the performance of Sam Osborne during Notts’ Checkatrade Trophy clash with Newcastle United Under 21s.
The 19-year-old winger was named Man of the Match at Meadow Lane and was a constant threat despite the 2-0 loss.
And his efforts did not escape the attention of his manager, who highlighted his as one of a couple of pleasing individual displays.
“Sam was excellent,” said Kewell. “He created a lot of chances for us in the first half.
“In the second period he had a couple of decent efforts himself and was unfortunate not to score, so he did well tonight.
“Tyreece Kennedy-Williams was also good on his first-team debut. He played at right back even though he is left-footed and handled the challenge well.”
Their performances were the only highlights for Kewell, who didn't hold back in his assessment of the team's overall display.
He admitted: “I’m disappointed because we had a game plan at the start of the match and we didn’t stick to it one bit.
“These players have asked why they’ve not been making appearances, and this is the answer they give me.
“If you put as much effort in as possible then people notice but there was no sign of that, which is disappointing.
“There will be punishment for them. They didn’t work hard enough during the match so clearly they have more in the tank and I will be pushing them in training on Wednesday.”