LEON Blackmore-Such is hoping any young player given the chance to shine in the Papa John’s Trophy will do so tonight.

Oxford United make the trip to London, to face Sutton United, knowing victory will send them through to the knockout stages.

Although all four sides in Southern Group G have collected three points ahead of the final round of games, the U’s sit top on goal difference.

Karl Robinson’s side beat Leyton Orient 5-0, before a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea Under-21s earlier this month.

While the competition is far from universally popular, and has been criticised for its format and allowing Premier League reserve sides to compete, Blackmore-Such pointed out the positives.

The first team coach, who previously worked with the Under-18s side at United, said: “There are positives around it, I get everyone has their opinion on it, which is fair and we respect that.

“For me, being an academy coach, I used to enjoy seeing our young players being given that exposure and it’s no different to how we use it now.

“Some players will use it for minutes that they need, some have been training really well and are pushing to get in the league, and they’ll use this game as an opportunity to show the manager and the staff what they can do.

“Any young players that get given the opportunity, I hope they do the same as well.

“Some of the ones that are slightly older out of the youth team, like James Golding, Tyler Goodrham and Slavi [Spasov] – when we lent on them, they’ve done well.”

Last week, Goodrham signed a new contract which could keep him at United until 2025.

READ AGAIN: Tyler Goodrham signs new long-term contract with Oxford United

He signed his first professional contract with the U’s last summer, penning a one-year deal with the option of an extra 12 months.

The latest deal sees Goodrham extend his stay at United until 2024, with the option of a further year.

Blackmore-Such praised the 19-year-old forward, after earning his new long-term contract.

The U’s coach said: “It’s probably the toughest one, the second one is normally tougher to get because you’ve probably been out on loan or maybe you’ve not quite established yourself in the first team.

“I was pleased for Tyler, he’s a great kid and a talented footballer.

“I’ve probably seen Tyler since he was Under-14s and Under-15s, I’ve seen him all the way through and I want to make sure we see him go further on. I’m still on him a lot, I still want him to be better.

“It’s pleasing but there’s plenty more to do, to establish himself fully in our first team.

“He’ll need a good amount of minutes, like a few of the boys, but also to impress in front of the manager in a more competitive game.

“For Tyler, he knows it’ll be an opportunity for him to play well in front of the manager and staff.”