Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson thinks his side's 3-0 Betfred Cup win over Queen of the South highlighted the strength of his squad.
A Liam Donnelly penalty and two stunning strikes from substitutes Sherwin Seedorf and Jermaine Hylton gave the Premiership side the perfect start to the campaign.
Robinson praised his side and said his scoring substitutes showed there will be a battle for starting slots this year.
He said: "Liam was excellent in midfield and controlled the game and the two wide boys in Sherwin and Jermaine were class at times as Queens tired.
"It's good that we have them to bring on and there's competition for places.
"I know that Jermaine and Sherwin can offer me pure pace and invention and that was what the game needed.
"We had loads of control in the game. So there were lots of lessons to learn in terms of being patient but also we have those options now that we can bring on.
"We brought James Scott on at 18, Jamie Semple too, so we've got more young kids coming through and that's something we have to keep doing."
Well took the lead through Donnelly from the spot in the 71st minute before Seedorf's curling effort beat Robby McCrorie as the end of the game approached.
But two minutes later Hylton let fly from 25 yards to score an excellent goal with the last kick of the game.
