When asked why prolific Reserve and Youth team striker, Steven Davies, wasn't on the bench yesterday, Little gave this as his answer: "We didn't want to put Danny on the bench but we felt we needed to. We don't want to use Davies in this period when things aren't well."
So, Brian Little hasn't put a player on the bench because the team are losing, and in his place, has put a midfielder with a broken nose, who therefore cannot play. Surely, you pick substitutes with the intent of playing them. You have youth team players to come on and maybe turn a game around. Not so they can just sit in the youth team and reserve team, banging in the goals and then leave because they are not playing first team football as the first team is losing.
Really, if a player is injured, he should not be on the bench. Little knew very well Harrison couldn't play, but still picked him on the bench. Even if Rovers had been defeated yesterday, if Davies had played, it would have been valuable first team experience, something every player needs.
Davies might also have grabbed a goal. He certainlly seems to be doing just that in the reserves, more often than not with Chris Dagnall as his strike partner.
Not picking a youth team player, who has already had two or three appearences for the Rovers first team this year, because the first team are losing is not an excuse, it is a joke.