WANDERERS Reserves will be in striking distance of securing their first league title for 13 years if they can stretch their winning run to five games at home to Everton tonight.

Jimmy Phillips' second string, which will be reinforced by a handful of first team squad members, have lost just one of their last 12 games and go into their penultimate match just two points off the top of the Barclays Premiership Reserve League North.

Victory would take them top of the league for the first time this season and, although they will need others to slip up if they are to secure the championship, they are in impressive form.

For Phillips, who graduated from the Wanderers youth and reserve team ranks himself a quarter of a century ago, the object of the exercise is not exclusively to win titles. But he believes success would be a reward for the progress his young charges have made this season.

His brief, set out by Sam Allardyce, is to bridge the gap between the reserves and the first team, but he says development and success go hand in hand. "Sam's always said the emphasis isn't on results," Phillips said. "He wants to bring players through for the first team, but to do that the team has to be playing reasonably well.

"You can't progress players who are getting beat every week but, if you are completely results orientated, you can lose sight of the fact that you are here to develop players."

Polish duo Blazej Augustyn and Jarowslaw Fojut and Geordie James Sinclair, who recently converted from striker to full-back are among a clutch of youngsters who have profited from playing in a side that has been boosted in recent weeks by seniors.

Stelios, Andranik, Idan Tal, David Thompson, Ricardo Vaz Te and Ali Al-Habsi, all members of the squad that travelled to Arsenal at the weekend, are expected to figure at the County Ground, Leyland tonight (kick off 7pm), and there could be a smattering of seniors in the final fixture at home to Newcastle next Tuesday "There has been a good mix of youngsters and seniors and that's made it a good season results-wise and development wise," Phillips added. "It's been good experience for the younger lads to play alongside senior players, who demand higher standards from them. Now, with a title to play for, they're facing a challenge they haven't had before and it's going to be interesting for us to see how they cope."