HIS YOUNG starlets may have impressed as the Swindon Wildcats tore the Invicta Dynamos asunder last weekend but coach Ryan Aldridge insists that patience is still key when it comes to blooding youngsters in the English Premier League.

Forward Glenn Billing handed the Link Centre faithful a glimpse of his potential as he scored four goals against the Dynamos on Sunday but Aldridge says that the gap between the National League and his Wildcats’ level remains a yawning chasm.

In the opinion of the Swindon chief, mental and physical growth will be crucial for Billing and his fellow youngsters to force their way into his first-team plans.

“You know, if Glenn was two stone heavier, he’d be champing at the bit to be playing a lot more regular,” said Aldridge.

“From ENL One to EPL, the jump’s still such a big jump. And again, from EPL to the Elite League, it’s men v boys and from us to them, it’s men v boys.

“The way they play the game, are they ready? Absolutely. But they’re just physically and mentally not strong enough yet.

“It’s just time. There’s a couple of guys that aren’t too tall and they’ve got to work on their legs and get big legs over the next few years.

“But it’s all time. Obviously growth spurts happen at different times and you can see the way different guys improve.

“Over the last three years we’ve had them, some guys would improve in six-to-eight weeks and get ahead of everybody and then the next guy would overtake them.

“The good thing about them is that they all have a different role and they all have a different style, which is good for them and good for me because they can all play in different situations.”

Floyd Taylor was expected to miss out on Great Britain U20 duty yesterday after suffering a dead leg in Sunday’s 9-1 cup win at the Link, with Shane Moore also missing out in both of last weekend’s games with the same niggle.

Coach Aldridge said: “It’s tough because we haven’t had a dead leg in a few years and now we’ve had two in two weeks. It’s like concussions were all the rage and now it’s dead legs.

“I asked Mooresey to try it (on Sunday) but he couldn’t even run it on it.

“To be honest, I don’t know too much about dead legs but I’ve heard that if you get them hit again, it’s dangerous.

“If we can get him playing and it’s healthy, we’d love to have him back next weekend.”