Rai Simons’s breakthrough into the Chesterfield first team has not gone unnoticed by the youngsters he was recently playing alongside in the reserves.

Jake Beesley, a first-year striker at the club, said he has been inspired by Simons who has taken his chance since making his first-team debut last month, scoring his first goal against Gillingham last weekend.

Beesley, who scored more than 20 goals for the youth team last season, is hoping he can replicate Simons’s progress.

After Wednesday’s 1-0 reserve team win over Grimsby Town, Beesley said Simons’s sudden rise has had an impact on the other young players at the Proact Stadium.

When the season began Simons was well down the pecking order among the Chesterfield strikers, which included Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, a former Barclays Premier League striker at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“Rai’s come in from non-League and taken it all in his stride and he’s used the reserve team games as a platform for himself,” Beesley, 18, told the Chesterfield website.

“He scored three goals in two games and now he’s playing in the first team and has scored a goal. It just shows that if you impress in these games you’re going to get a chance.”

Beesley, who has played as a winger, striker and right back for the reserves this season, said he has noticed a big a step up from the youth team to the first team.

“The training’s a lot sharper, more intense and the quality’s better, it’s improved me all-round as a player,” he said.

“You can really tell the difference making the step up from the youth team to the first team.

“I feel I’ve improved a lot, my touch has improved and my finishing is a lot better.”