Eric Kinder underlined Carlisle United’s willingness to keep giving home-grown players a chance at Brunton Park.

The Blues sold Jarrad Branthwaite to Everton last week, following the summer departures of Liam McCarron and Josh Galloway to Leeds.

With more under-18 prospects like Taylor Charters and Charlie Birch featuring in the first-team squad, academy manager Kinder says others in the youth ranks should see there is a quick path to the senior set-up.

He said: “They have to. You’ve seen what’s happened this season. We started off with 18 youth team players and we’ve finished up with 15; we’ve sold two [Branthwaite and Galloway], one’s in the first-team squad and one we had to release.

“I signed a centre-half this week from Sunderland, and the first thing his dad said to me was, ‘It’s a good club, this, I’ve just seen a 17-year-old go to Everton for x-amount. It looks like you’ll get a chance lower down’.

“Yeah, you do get a chance. This club did it when I was here first time [from 2006-13] and it’s done it this season when I’ve come back. You will get a chance and they don’t stand in your way if you get a good move.”

A number of youth players featured in Tuesday’s 3-0 reserve win at Blackpool which all but assured United of progress to the quarter-finals of the Central League Cup.

Birch, Charters and Tom Wilson all started, with Jayden Major, Liam Lightfoot and Jamie Armstrong coming off the bench, defender Wilson and forward Major on the scoresheet after Jack Bridge’s opener.

It was a chance for the second-year youth players to catch the eye of head coach Chris Beech as the club weighs up their futures at the club.

Kinder added: “When the [head coach] is there, and they’re playing with senior players, they have to work hard and put on a show for everybody.

“On Saturday morning football, often its only me and Mark [Birch, under-18 coach] there and a few spectators.

“I’ve always said Tom Wilson plays better for the reserves than the youth team, and I think that’s just because he has to step up his game. The more games they get like this the better.”