JOE Jones is confident that Braintree Town manager Brad Quinton will offer first-team chances to players who continue impressing in the club's reserve side.

Braintree Reserves are due to be in Thurlow Nunn League division one action tonight when they host AFC Sudbury Reserves at the IronmongeryDirect Stadium.

A pitch inspection is planned at lunchtime to see whether the game can go ahead, but the Young Irons will be hoping to continue a run of form that has seen them claim 25 points from their last nine games in the league and Jones says he and his team-mates know chances to progress will arise if they keep doing well.

Strikers Matt Baxter, Reece Grant and Marcel Barrington have all shone in the reserves' ranks this season and gone on to be goal scorers for Quinton's first team in the Vanarama National League South.

So the young players currently building their experience in Braintree Reserves' promotion push in Thurlow Nunn League division one know there is a pathway for them to follow if they keep impressing at the lower level.

It is an encouragement for them and Jones knows Quinton is keeping an eye on their progress.

Jones, who score in the team's 3-0 win at Diss Town on Saturday, said: “We know that Brad (Quinton) is more than happy to give us chances if we’re worthy of them.

“A few of us played in the Essex Senior Cup game and you've seen people like Matt Baxter and Reece Grant having played in the reserves this year.

“It shows everyone playing week-in week-out for the reserves can aspire to it and you know if you’re doing well then you’ll always get a chance with Brad."

Aside from their own personal progression, though, Jones feels Braintree's players can have collective success if they keep pressing towards the top of the league and feels they can still target a top-three finish in division one this year.

He said: “You always look at the top end of the table, but you can’t take anything for granted and you can only look forward at the next game that you’re playing.

“We have games in hand over the team directly above us and as long as we keep picking up points from the game that’s in front of us, we will keep on moving up.

“We’re always looking at promotion and with players like we have who want to progress and better themselves then that’s a good thing.

“We have a young team and being in the upper part of the table at this stage, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t still be looking at the top three.”