Midweek heroes Joe Brown and Joe Colbeck have been rewarded with new contracts by City.

The exciting teenagers, who combined decisively for the

stoppage-time winner over Blackpool, are among six apprentices who have been offered one-year professional deals.

Brown scored twice earlier in the season against

non-league Morecambe and Kidderminster in the LDV Vans Trophy but dropped back to the youth team after Colin Todd felt he had lost a little bit of focus.

The City boss believes Brown's performance on Tuesday showed the lesson had been learned.

"I saw against Blackpool what I saw from Joe two months ago; he looked sharp and hungry again," said Todd.

"I just sensed before that he had probably stopped working as hard as he had been. There were a couple of games when you got the feeling that he thought he'd already made it because he was in the squad.

"But he dropped back for a little while and that's done him some good. On Tuesday, it was the old Joe Brown again.

"He is raw and you've got to channel that but he's got the knack of hopefully scoring more goals for this football club."

Winger Colbeck, who is 18 months older than Brown, made his first-team debut in the Carling Cup loss to Notts County last season as an extra-time substitute.

But he has really made his mark off the bench in recent weeks by inspiring a

second-half fightback against Bristol City and then

supplying the cross for Brown's diving header in

midweek.

Todd said: "Colbeck has also got that hunger to do well. That's twice he has come on as a substitute and put people on the back foot, which is what you ask from a winger.

"People like to see the youngsters but there is no pressure on them. They are refreshed and certainly

enjoying it and I think that can rub off on the other

players in the side."

Paul Denvers, Simon Ainge, Patrick McGuire and Nick Smith have also been offered senior contracts but Darren Thornton, Inderjeet Aujla, Tom Claisse and Patrece Liburd will not be kept on.