Scotsman wants others to follow in Haughton and Forbes' footsteps
Development squad manager Barry Nicholson has been pleased with the progress of his squad over recent months, and hopes to see more players breaking into the first team squad.Nick Haughton and Tyler Forbes have both been regulars in Graham Alexander’s squad this season, and Nicholson believes more youngsters will follow in their footsteps.
The Scotsman has been buoyed by the good start shown by his players, and also paid tribute to Alexander for giving youth a chance this year.
He said: “It is always nice to see the lads that have been involved in the development squad progress to the first team.
“A few of the lads already have been involved in the first team on a regular basis. For example, Tyler Forbes and Nick Haughton are involved consistently.
“It has been a really good start for our development squad and all of the lads have had a lift knowing the opportunity is available to them if they’re good enough.
“We are still a few lads short in terms of numbers in the development squad. Obviously we are a brand new team but we don’t want to sign players for the sake of it.
“We are looking for players that we think have the potential to progress to the first team squad. We have looked at a number of trialists so far.”
Nicholson admits it’s going to be an interesting few months for his players, with a number of contracts coming to an end.
“The players that have been with us since the start of the season have been great to work with. They have given us everything and hopefully they can do that until the end of the season.
“Some of the players only have five months left on their contracts. They know the next few months are going to be vital if they are going to stay with us and win themselves another contract.
“The ball is in their court. I am sure they will work really hard and keep on pushing themselves as much as they can.
“Hopefully they will catch our eye and they will be staying with us next season. It is an important time for the lads.”
It is set to be a busy few weeks for Nicholson and his squad, and they begin the New Year with a trip to Rochdale on Tuesday afternoon.
“We are playing Rochdale on Tuesday and we face Burnley the week after. We will then face Leeds United at the end of the month.
“We have games arranged until the end of January. We are already looking to arrange more games for February and March.
“The lads need as much game time as possible. We will have trialists playing in the coming weeks as we are looking to recruit players for next season too.
“It also presents a good chance for the lads in the youth team to step up into the squad. It is an important time for them as well.
“They are all looking for full time contracts so we want to have a look at them in development matches to see how they do.
“I am looking forward to the next few weeks. It is going to be a busy time.”