THE 1-0 friendly loss at Torquay United on the weekend had a pleasant silver-lining for manager Ian Holloway with youngsters Ashley Barnes and Scott Laird both making positive contributions.

Striker Barnes only joined from non-League club Paulton Rovers towards the end of last season and Ollie feels his second half partnership with the experienced Barry Hayles will have done him the world of good.

Laird, a graduate from the Argyle youth set-up, was impressing Ollie with a composed performance in an unfamiliar central midfield role.

"Barnes is only 17 and it is a bit unfair to judge him on his first pre-season," said Ollie. "Lairdy is coming through but have I made enough room for him? It is all very difficult.

"Results don't matter at this time of the year, although you don't want to go on a losing run because that will affect confidence, but I benefited at Torquay from seeing Ashley Barnes go on with Barry Hayles with the team 1-0 down. That was irreplaceable for him.

"These two players are for the future. If, by the end of pre-season, I deem that they might have a squad number and a future, that means I won't be looking to bring in from outside. It is about assessment of people."

Ollie used the examples of Dan Gosling and Gary Sawyer as a way of demonstrating to the youngsters in his squad that they will be given their chance to impress.

Gosling and Sawyer both excelled last term after starting the campaign without a single first team appearance for the Pilgrims between them.

Pre-Season is all about assessment and fitness for Ollie and he called on his new crop of young players to prove they are ready for the challenge of Championship football.

Ollie said: "I am not about throwing people in when they are not ready. Gos earned the right to be thrown in with the things he had done and he is not far off from making himself a regular in the first team.

"Gary Sawyer has developed with having real games and I don't think he is the same player who went out on loan [to Exeter] a couple of years ago. He has made some mistakes but he has got stronger and learned his trade. If I can't give them that at my club, then I have to loan them out.

"We will give everybody a chance here if we can. If not, then I have got to let them go and they will go with my love. We need to involve them in the structure. I have been at clubs where it was a case of them and us - the first team and the youth team, and it was awful. There has to be a progression through your club.

"I might have to loan three or four of my young ones out this year, like I did at the end of last year. Other ones might be in my team. I will give them until after Austria and that is when you will get some decisions.

"If Ryan Dickson, for example, has a great tour in Austria, I might keep him in my squad. At the moment I have got Bojan [Djordjic] and [Peter] Halmosi, and I might need to loan Dicko out."