Maybe so, it's a balancing act. Could be that the second division is a sweet spot of being challenging enough for a talented 18 year-old and not too difficult which it might be a level higher (as you've got fringe first-team squad players from top clubs needing game-time and turning-out in U23s games).
I guess what I was trying to say was that I'd take a second division U23s side if the U18s win the Youth Cup. But I take your point. We're a big club, at all levels competing at the top tier should be a given. Just think the U23s is the one in-between area that maybe is not as important. The good players too old for the U18s are probably better served going on-loan to a lower league club than hanging around Bodymoor for a few more years.