Your sons footballing career

Promoted on no points... brilliant. Did you have the open top bus? Maybe we have hope of not being released this season..

 

Our luxury mate was getting changed in the old post office ( upstairs) at broomhill. Then getting a better changing room in the garage underneath the old countryman pub at wombwell.
A funny story I remember. ( I used to line for the team early doors) The ball went in the river on many occasion. My mate ( posts on here now and again Jumper) was in goal and went to retrieve the ball. (You had to go to the edge of the banking to be able to see the river.) I went over thinking he must have drowned he was taking that long. He’s sat there ball in hand bottom of the banking. I said “what tha doing” he said “let me know if ref’s coming over, I’m taking mi time trying to keep scoor darn.”

 

Remember a mate of mine who played in goal, getting stressed cos he had just lit up a cig as the opposition forward was bearing down on goal..

 

We have a very young first team at Oakwell, but I still think you should give him a couple more months.

 

I think its horses for courses for coaches. They are all very different and at the end of the day are giving up their time to enable your son/daughter to play.

 

My old school mate went through the Huddersfield Town academy with the likes of Jon Worthington and Nathan Clarke and it ruined him not making it. In the twenty years since he's not been the same with horrendous addictions and many run ins with the law including a few stretches inside. Unless as a kid you're as good as the seven year olds Amazon showed on the Man City documentary I wouldn't bother.

 

My lad played for Barugh JFC (now Shaw Lane) from 5 years old, a lovely family orientated set up.

Between 9 and 11 he spent 2 years with the Academy Development Squad at Leeds United after Barugh JFC played in a tournament there which they won.

It was a great set up, either myself or my late Father took him up to Thorp Arch every Friday evening. The coaching, I have to say, was excellent and even his Barugh coaches will confirm that he improved as a footballer during his time there. Terry Curran had him for 9 months and was fantastic with him. However, because he wasn't tied into the official academy squads, he could still play for his school team and for Barugh JFC. He continued with Barugh until u-16 level.

One of things I don't like about academies is the ring fencing of kids at a young age that prevents them playing local league football. Demands on all are intense, regular training, long distance travel for matches away. It's taken a lot of the natural love of football out of many kids, ultimately they're a production line where hundreds of kids are looked at, and if a pro club ultimately gets 1 or 2 coming through at 17 or 18 each year, then it's done its job for them. But many kids are lost to the game in my opinion.

He's back enjoying football again now at 19 years old for Birmingham Medical Society, albeit he needs resurfacing surgery on his hip following a fracture playing football when he was 15. Social football is a great thing, don't lose sight of it.