STANDING on the sidelines in his Jose Mourinho' style coat, Jeremy Newton would not have felt the County Ground chill as his Town starlets lit up the December night.

While his reign as caretaker youth team boss at the County Ground could be short, a few years down the line one gets the feeling last night's Youth cup third round tie will be topping his CV.

Newton normally oversees Town's centre of excellence but took the hot seat for last night's 2-1 win over Barnsley, with Dave Byrne currently in charge of the first team.

And as Town's next generation again surprised a more illustrious opponent, he could soon have every season to look back with pride on the batch of players he has helped make their way in the game.

Ben Tozer again showed why he is at the centre of so much attention from top flight clubs with a commanding defensive performance but, as a host of scouts scribbled away in the stands, he was not the only one to impress.

Cash-strapped Town dominated their money-bags counterparts in every area, with Ben Joyce's 56th-minute volley deservedly earning them a fourth round tie at home to Premier League Middlesbrough.

Newton said: "It was fantastic for me from a personal point of view. It was a bit nervy towards the end but credit to the lads they dug in and I could not have asked any more from them.

"I love it, however long it lasts. I will continue to do it as best as I can for as long as needed, with Ady Williams and Dave Byrne helping me when they can "I bought this coat in Liverpool and it is one like Mourinho would have."

Energetic Kurt Hammonds bossed the midfield in a one-sided first 45 minutes for Town, while strikers Jake Hyde and Joyce were a thorn in the Barnsley defence all night.

The lightening quick Lloyd Macklin caused problems down the right although his end product at times will have disappointed the watching scouts.

Macklin did though create the opener, just when it looked as though a host of missed chances would prove costly, with Sam Morris making ammends for earlier wastefulness with a 45th-minute opener.

The winger left four Barnsley defenders trailing in his wake and, when his shot was blocked, Morris smartly slotted the rebound home.

After the break Jamil Adam levelled the game with an angled drive on 53 minutes but just three minutes later, Joyce volleyed home from eight yards for what turned out to be the winner.

Newton said: "We took seven of our first years from the centre of excellence last year so to get that is fantastic. The academy system spend millions compared to us.

"We saw that with Newcastle last year who spend £4million a year on their academy and we are spending a lot less. But we are still producing the players and will continue to do that.

"Hopefully the more players we produce the more money we can get.

"As we keep playing in this cup, last year's run has made more people aware of us this season. Hence why scouts are coming down and why we are playing big clubs in pre-season."

Town: Mark Scott, Tom Evans, Callum Kennedy, Kurt Hammonds, Ben Tozer, Sean Morrison, Lloyd Macklin, Sam Morris, Jake Hyde, Ben Joyce (Danny Wallington), Adam Everiss (Callum Willmoth) Subs not used: Jamie Taylor, Nathan Thompson, Jack Winter