Hereford's James Roberts left a good impression after playing the full 90 minutes last night in the Herefordshire FA's anniversary fixture against a Football Association XI.
Roberts' penalty in the 22nd minute cancelled out Shaquille Whittingham's goal a minute before, with Herefordshire taking the lead in the second half as James Molyneux got his name on the scoresheet. But Fairclough's side scored an 80th minute equaliser thanks to Ben Whitehead.
The FA representative side, managed by England C team boss Paul Fairclough, gave him the chance to take a closer look at some young players who have now caught his eye for the future.
Fairclough said that "three or four" players caught his eye, including Herefordshire's Roberts, and also praised player-manager Rob Purdie.
"Obviously there's a big step to the England C team but I would say there are a good three or four who planted seeds in my head for the future," Fairclough told the press after the game.
"Perhaps not for the immediate future, but certainly for the future simply because of their age. I was very impressed with Roberts, he certainly caught my eye especially in the first half.
"I thought he tired in the second half, but he was a real handful for our young defenders. What Rob Purdie has done is he's got a team together and got them to play like a team who have been playing for a long time.
"That's what the art is with these representative games and the England C team, trying to get a group of players to play like a team when they don't know each other."
Speaking to Rob Purdie, Fairclough told him that he'd take Roberts "any day of the week".
Purdie said: "I thought James was a different class today. James didn't stop going. He looked a threat, he's had a lot of compliments off Paul Fairclough as well.
"Paul called me over to ask who he was, the other boys Sam Rawlings and Sam Gwynne were both different class.
"I don't just want to single out those three, nobody had a bad game out there.
"He (Paul Fairclough) said he'd take him any day of the week, I think talking about the actual England C side, I think some of them might get a chance.
"I've watched James play two or three times this season and his work rate is always there. He showed a different side today, his quality was very good, his determination, his strong powerful runs. I thought he was different class."