DARREN Byfield has praised young attacker Zaquib Hussain after he bagged his first goal as Redditch United drew with Basingstoke Town.

The Reds halted a four-game losing run last Saturday as Luke Keen struck to make it 2-2 late on.

However, one of the most pleasing aspects of the clash was the way youngster Hussain took his chance to shine on debut.

Byfield spotted the talented midfielder playing against United's under-18s for a Kidderminster development side and was keen to get him on-board.

He has been waiting for the right time to give him his chance and was rewarded at the weekend when he scored the opener on nine minutes.

Byfield said: "I was absolutely delighted for Zaquib Hussain.

"He is only 18 but is already a man on the pitch. He isn't scared of any reputations and gets stuck in as well.

"I saw this young lad terrorising our under-18s' defence and had to go and find out who he was.

"It's hard to know when it is right to play young players but I spoke to my coaches and we decided to throw him in.

"It gives him a chance to learn and prepare for next season."

Mid-table Basingstoke, who were seeking three wins in a row, roared back through Matt Partridge’s close-range strike ten minutes before half time and then took the lead on 63 minutes through a stunning back-heel finish from Aaron Jarvis.

The visitors continued have the edge in possession but the Reds showed great spirit and were rewarded 15 minutes from time.

Substitute Kaylum Mitchell charged forward and though his shot was blocked the ball rolled into the path of Dior Angus who crossed for Keen to bundle home from a couple of yards.

Byfield was pleased with the way his players hit back to share the spoils and is hoping the late point can spark a win over Kings Langley at home this Saturday (3pm kick-off).

He added: "I said before the game that Basingstoke are the best footballing side in the league so we did really well against them.

"They did grow into it and their formation caused us a few problems. I changed it at half time and then there manager changed it as well, so there was some tactical chess going on.

"When we went behind we showed real character and fight to then come back ourselves because we could easily have crumbled with some of the results we have had recently.

"I want us to kick on now and see if we can pick up a few wins before the end of the season."