STOKED after making his National League debut for Forest Green, teenager Joe Stokes insists he is prepared to join the fans on the terraces and cheer his team-mates to play-off glory.

Handed a surprise start at Dover on Saturday, academy starlet Stokes produced an eye-catching performance and the Wotton-based 18-year-old would relish the chance of playing in the semi-final first leg in a re-run in Kent on Wednesday.

Stokes beamed: “Hopefully I can be with boys, but if not I will come down and sit with the fans and support the boys and get behind them.”

And Stokes had a special word for the fans who backed the team on Saturday. “The fans were like a twelfth-man. You could hear every single one of them - our boys and girls were unbelievable, and I can’t thank them enough, and hopefully they get behind us on Wednesday night.”

Stokes revealed that caretaker boss Scott Bartlett broke his selection news to him in the team hotel on Friday night.

He said: “Scotty told me at 9.30pm and to be honest I had a restless sleep to be fair, but I got through it.”

Stokes praised his senior team-mates, who made him feel part of the squad.

He added: “Every player had a chat to me and told me the ins and outs of the league. They made me feel welcome and I felt like a first-team player.”

The former Katherine Lady Berkeley schoolboy acknowledged the part Bartlett has played in his fledgling career.

“My Dad and I used to come up every home game. I’ve always been behind Forest Green and when Scotty gave me the call, I couldn’t turn it down to join him at the academy. He is a great bloke and has looked after me since I left Swindon Town at 16, and has got me to where I am today, so I can’t thank him enough and now I am doing what I can to earn a pro-contract.

“I hope Scotty can take us up – he deserves it.”

The tenacious midfielder displayed some sure touches in a midfield three and was happy with his senior debut.

“I was pleased with my performance overall, but there was a couple of things I could improve on, but I can’t put into words how good it felt to do that today,” he admitted.

“The tempo of this was a lot quicker and the first and second balls you have to battle for every single one of them and when you get a chance you have to take it, but in academy football you get four, five or six chances and you miss one and you get another, but in this you get two or three and you have to take one of them.”

Stokes had an after-match surprise when he spotted his family at the final whistle.

“My dad, sister and girlfriend popped over, but they had said they weren’t coming. Dad had a cycling event the next day and was riding 110 miles, but that’s not going to happen now.”