United's second-string held the League Two outfit, currently third in the English fourth tier, to a goalless draw after 90 minutes at the Eco-Power Stadium before losing 4-2 on penalties in their opening Northern Section Group E encounter, with Jay Turner-Cooke and Alex Murphy unable to convert for the visitors.

Despite missing out on a bonus point in the shoot-out, Dickman was pleased to see his side go toe-to-toe with Rovers' first-team but also highlighted areas for his side to improve on.

"There are certain elements of the game that we were pleased with," Dickman told nufc.co.uk. "We'd worked on our defensive shape and our backline and it was good, which the lads can be pleased with.

"We could have been a little bit better in the final third and shown more care in possession. At times, we were working really hard to defend when we didn't have the ball but when we won it back, we needed to show composure and care.

"The lads grew into it once the game settled down, as it was quite fast to start off with. It was understandable one or two could be nervous but, in general, it settled quite well.

"We had practiced penalties quite a few times, from the beginning of pre-season when we were out in Pinatar to prepare them for that.

"It's the luck of the draw in some respect and unfortunately it didn't go our way tonight but the lads will learn from that experience and the biggest thing is trying to make sure it doesn't go to penalties."

Newcastle's youngsters will face Barnsley, who competed in the Championship last term, as well as Lincoln City, who won the EFL Trophy in 2018/19, in their remaining group fixtures of the 2022/23 campaign.

Dickman believes the under-21s' involvement in the competition can only benefit the group in the early stages of their development.

"It's always good to play against senior opposition in a different environment and competition," he added. "We have plenty of games before then (against Barnsley) and we'll focus on our next match against Aston Villa.

"It's nice to keep a clean sheet after 90 minutes. That's two in a row so well done to the whole group for that. There are plenty of positives in how we defended and what our shape was like but we want it to be better. That will be something we'll have to work on very hard with them.

"In terms of the Papa John's (Trophy), it's a really good competition for us. We get a lot of benefits from playing against senior players who have more experience and it's a good challenge for our group."