Development Squad
The Development Squad play at home on Wednesday night in the Lancashire League at Barnton (9.9.15 kick off 7.45pm) against Leeds Academy side RIASA South and are then in action in the Lancashire League Cup at Wincham Park against Ashton Athletic the following Wednesday (16.9.15 kick of 7.45pm). Wittoners are urged to get down and support the lads who are pushing for a first team berth!
Director of Football Development - John Salmon was upbeat despite recent Lancashire League results. “We need to carry a different type of squad for the Lancashire League than the trial games we play against professional opposition like Greenock Morton and Airbus. We have been very short in terms of playing personnel and Coaching and Support Staff. It has been a very steep learning curve.
Many of our players are from further afield than Cheshire and dual registered with other clubs. With midweek games and the first team players bedding in to a new season we have had to endure threadbare numbers. It was for this reason and a number of injuries that the game against Stalybridge Celtic was postponed at short notice. This will now change with midweek games reducing and first team players needing minutes becoming available.
The Buxton result looks a disaster (We lost 7-1) but it was anything but. We had a bare 12 on the night as 3 key midfield players were caught on packed Motorways after the previous nights heavy flooding. Buxton played 6 first team Squad members and two trialists one of whom was signed for the first team immediately after the game. Buxton manager Martin McIntosh who is a friend of mine took the team himself.
Sharif missed two sitters in the first half hour at 0-0 and 2-0 flattered them at half time. Inevitably we were not able to make changes and that resulted in us tiring badly and conceding 4 in the last 20 minutes. The game gave me a chance to run my eye over 3 young players from Liverpool who did very well. Our back 4 players also did well in spite of the score line. Kyle Parle, former Manchester youth player and Oldham professional Laquan Esdaille and Jordan Thomas were excellent but Theo Chrisokhou was MOM. Jamie Matthews was also excellent and is pushing for a run in the first team having scored 8 in 6 games. I have told the players that development is more important than results. The latter will follow.
I am delighted that Tony Ennion has agreed to join us this week as Assistant manager/Coach and Rachel Draysey has settled in to the role of Development Squad Secretary. In addition Lostock Gralan FC has agreed to let us utilise their pitch for training subject to agreeing the financials.”