No position safe, warns Peters

Skipper Stewart Drummond, goalkeeper Glynn Garner, winger Marc Pugh and the versatile Ben Herd were left out of the 16 altogether, while striker Stuart Nicholson was cup-tied and Kelvin Langmead and Danny Hall were both on the bench.

But Peters insists that none of those can be guaranteed to return for the home clash with Grimsby Town this weekend, especially after the impressive performance of his young fringe players.

Town were thrashed 3-0 at MK Dons in their last league outing on Saturday, and the performance of youngsters like Jimmy Ryan and Chris Humphrey last night has given him food for thought.

"It's definitely got Saturday out of the system but, more than that, it's made the players who didn't play last night sit up and take notice," said Peters.

"There's players out there who can replace them and, as I've said to them all, with players coming back to fitness the most difficult job here is to be getting in the side.

"I really believe that once they're all fit it's going to be hell trying to get a place in the team.

"No-one's safe in our team and everyone knows that. Stewart Drummond is our skipper but he's got to look out there and see that Jimmy Ryan and David Hunt were superb. They hardly gave the ball away and everything was simple.

"We've got a lot of people who are going to be worrying about their place this week."

Town were beaten by a Diomansy Kamara goal in the second half, but Peters had plenty of words of praise for his young side.

"We had chances and they had a few as well so we don't want to get carried away.

"But we can be very positive about a game like that. It was the right way to lose - Saturday was the wrong way."

Trialist Sean Clancy from Blackpool was signed on non-contract terms in order to sit on the bench as cover for left-back Marc Tierney, who had been nursing tight hamstrings.

But he might now be released ahead of the closing of the transfer window on Friday.

By Chris Hudson