DEREK Adams joked that Finn Cousin-Dawson must be improving after his early booking took twice as long in midweek.

“It was 10 minutes this time so he’s getting better,” smiled the City boss following the young defender’s second yellow card of the new campaign.

As with the Carabao Cup tie at Nottingham Forest a week earlier, the 19-year-old was left negotiating a disciplinary tight rope against Stevenage.

But once again, Cousin-Dawson came through the challenge to enhance his growing reputation.

Having demanded the youngsters in the City squad step up to the plate, Adams acknowledges that the 19-year-old has done just that as an effective cover for the injured Oscar Threlkeld.

“It’s a good learning curve for Finn. He competes exceptionally well.

“He has to work on his crossing but he has done well with his defensive responsibilities.

“(Luke) Norris was peeling on to him at times and he dealt well with the threat.”

If the booking was another problem to solve, Cousin-Dawson took it in his stride.

The teenager said: “You do think you’ve got to handle yourself differently. You’ve just got to be a bit cleverer in challenges and stand up for as long as you can.

“The more games I get, the calmer I get. I don’t think there was a point during the game when I thought I was going to dive in.”

Cousin-Dawson has also adapted to life under Adams – with the reassuring presence of Mark Trueman in the number two role.

“The manager demands a lot from his players and expects us to have high standards,” said Cousin-Dawson.

“I obviously worked under (Stuart) McCall before Mark and Conor (Sellars) so I have had different managers.

“It’s not quite the same style in play but there are similarities because Mark is working with the gaffer. But I take on board everything that he says and hopefully try to replicate that in a game.

“It’s good to have Mark still there. After working with him last year and as a scholar, it’s good to have a coach who knows how you are and what gets you going the best.”

After 23 league outings in his debut professional year, Cousin-Dawson admits this season already feels “massively different” with the presence of fans.

“You feel a lot more pressure than last season,” he said. “It probably did help me getting quite a lot of games under my belt without fans.

“But we did miss them – you see that with the way the stadium was bouncing against Oldham and Stevenage.

“To get 14,000 for a night game in League Two is massive.

“I walked out for the Oldham game and felt it in my stomach hearing the noise. It was a bit surreal at times but you just have to deal with it.

“I remember as a scholar watching games when Valley Parade was full and just wishing you could play in them and finally that’s happened for me.

“I wouldn’t say it changes your game but if you hear the crowd, it might spur you on to press a bit more.

“It definitely helps when you know you’ve done something right and the fans are behind you.”

Cousin-Dawson is ready for another challenge this weekend when both sides put their unbeaten starts on the line at Mansfield.

“They’ve started well just like us but it is early on. Every game is a big test now, it doesn’t really matter where you are in the league.

“There are going to be a lot of away fans there so hopefully they can see us through. Whether it’s a few hundred or over a thousand, you can always hear them.

“I’ve got to keep impressing and putting in solid performances to stay in the team. But it’s most important for the team to get three points.”