DARRAGH Lenihan made his injury comeback as Rovers Under-23s returned to the top of the Premier League 2 Division Two table with a win at Fulham.

But it was the young players who impressed Damien Johnson as his young charges won 1-0 courtesy of a Lewis Mansell first-half strike.

With Willem Tomlinson suspended, Scott Wharton having moved out on loan and Lewis Travis with the first-team, Johnson was forced to alter things around.

And he was delighted with their application as Mansell scored the winner midway through the first half, capitalising on a Tayo Edun error to slot past the Fulham stopper.

“I'm very pleased,” said Johnson.

“Fulham are a decent side and it's a tough place to go.

“We had to make some changes, with Darragh and some young lads coming in, but I was really pleased with how they went about it.

“Darragh got through 60 minutes and looked good. He was a bit tired towards the end, but came off fine, which was very pleasing.

“We had a couple of first year scholars on the bench and Frank Jones came on for his debut.

“John Buckley played at right wing-back, which is an unfamiliar position to him, but he showed his intelligence and his ability.”

Mansell scored his fourth goal in eight outings as Rovers returned to the top of the table, with Johnson happy with the way his side controlled the game after taking the lead.

He added: “Fulham started the game brightly and it took us a while to get to grips with their formation, but after about 15-20 minutes I felt we were comfortable and always looked a threat.

“I was really pleased with our shape and our pressing, which got us the goal.

“In the second half, we had chances to kill the game off, with Joe (Rankin-Costello) blazing over the bar from about six yards out, whilst Andy Fisher was never really tested, other than from a couple of free-kicks.”

Rovers were without a number of regulars figures, with Matty Platt and Jack Doyle adding to the absentee list.

And Johnson said: “It's testament to the quality and characters we have in the group.

“As players step up to the first team, the lads who come in, the regulars help them through it and they maintain our principles and style of play.

“It's a good sign for their development that they can adapt and adjust to changes, but still produce positive performances and results.”