[Devongone]

Amidst the bad news, the contentious news and the maybe-slightly-better-news-round-the-corner our youth team qualifying for the third round of the cup (away to Swansea) is wholly welcome. Of course they all deserve praise but a 6'4" 17 year-old centre back coming up to score with a towering header lifts the heart. Apparently Marshall Willock is also impressing on his loan at Kettering.

Let's get him on a water-tight decent length contract now before the offers start coming in and turning his head too. (I know ours will be rotating once we realise we have a marketable asset on our hands.) If he were to put in a commanding performance at Swansea they might not be the only Premier side eyeing him up.

Whoever scouted and recommended him deserves credit (surely not Mr Pickle?) It would be nice to get at least a season of first team football out of him before we sell.

[bluepooch]

Well you know my opinion on Sam Hird and Evo aint getting any younger so I'm happy with the fact that we have an up and coming youngster who may get a first team game this season and by all accounts Maguire did well on Saturday.I just wonder whether Jack will dip into the market in Jan.

[Devongone]

I'm not usually for loans, but if Zak Jules were fit for January he might be the answer for the rest of the season. Another youngster who might be worth a loan is Harry Souttar from Stoke. They apparently want to loan him out. He is bigger than either Jules or Willock, + he can play a bit. He was in Stoke's Youth Cup team that made the semis and looked good.

We've still got Dylan Hand and Conor Fowler in that position too ....... and it sounds as though Iffy Ofoegbu might be another defensive talent coming together now. And that kid Luke Rawson seems to score every match in the Juniors too.

This is why I keep harping on about us finding a way to build a bridge between first team and youth team, so that players can come through who don't do a Joe Rowley first time they put on the shirt...... Obviously Llera is doing a decent job at the moment and I think Jack will too but I'd like (and maybe he does think this way) Jack to think of every player, like Pepe Guardiola does, as his personal project ...... because obviously it isn't only the youngsters need to improve for us.