ROOKIE midfielder Tom Owen-Evans has been told to be patient as he looks to cement his place in the Newport County AFC first team squad.

The 18-year-old started his first match since September last week as the Exiles were beaten 1-0 at home by Notts County.

But Owen-Evans failed to make the impact he would have wanted and was replaced by club captain Mark Byrne on 58 minutes.

Manager Warren Feeney is a fan of the academy graduate but says he may have to bide his time before he becomes a first team regular.

“Tom’s a good player and I like him but he’s got to be patient,” said the County boss.

“It was tough on the young lads at the start of the season and you’ve got to bleed them in right, give them minutes now and get a good pre-season behind them.

“You’ve got to get them playing and keep them confident but the thing is with young lads they can get their heads turned.

“They all want to live the lifestyle of football but I’ve told them they have a lot of hard work to do.

“Tom is a good footballer but he’s got to do the ugly side of the game and get his mentality right when it’s not going well.

“It was a good experience for him last week. He was disappointed when I brought him off but it’s all learning for him and it’s not about individuals – it’s about what’s best for this football club and that’s it.”

Feeney says the modern breed of young footballers are completely different from his generation and that of his assistant manager Andy Todd and coach Michael Flynn.

Feeney, aged 35, played for Northern Ireland, AFC Bournemouth, Luton Town, Cardiff City and Swansea City amongst others.

Todd, now aged 41, turned out for 13 clubs, including Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers and Derby County.

While 35-year-old Flynn started and ended his professional career at County and also represented the likes of Wigan Athletic, Gillingham and Bradford City.

“The way I was brought up, and Toddy and Flynny, I like to keep my feet on the ground,” said Feeney.

“We had a couple of young lads the other day who were probably enjoying it too much but I made them suffer for it!”