At Thursday's AGM Alan Irvine commended the progress of the youth team and reserved praise for young winger Danny Mayor who is edging closer to pressing for a first team squad slot after hard work with David Unsworth.
In his annual presentation to the shareholders, the manager talked of the impact David Unsworth has made, working with the 'middle' group of junior pros who aren't youth team members or full first team squad members, as well as singling out the continued progression of the youth team set up.
"The youth team is continuing to improve," Irvine said. "I have to congratulate the youth staff for that. I think that the standard has increased significantly in my time at the Club and that has nothing to do with me. It has been really pleasing to see how things have developed.
"The main reason for having a youth department is to get players through and I am desperate as anyone to see players breaking through to the first team. One or two people asked me earlier in the season when we were not filling the bench, why did we not have youth team players on the bench?
"There are benefits to that, no question; it is good for them to experience being around the first team. It is good for them to get used to being involved when you have to win, as opposed to when you are playing for development purposes. However, I have been a youth team coach for many years and I know the pitfalls of it as well.
"If you promote players too early, you have a problem bringing them back down and into the group and that can have a much worse an effect on them than the benefits of putting them in when they are not ready.
"The lads are not ready yet and that is no criticism of them, it is just where they are in their career, but we are hoping that they will get closer and closer."
Despite not being ready just yet, the manager did say they were getting closer with midweek reserve team goalscorer Danny Mayor knocking on the door: "Danny Mayor came with us to Austria, did extremely well, but had a couple of sets backs - something off the pitch and a couple of injuries - and as a result of that, he set himself back a little bit.
"He is on his way back again and hopefully he will be able to get closer to the first team, along with others, in the near future."
