At times some might have been pitched in a little sooner than it might have been wanted but, even of some have moved on, arguably the brightest thing in recent years for Blackpool has been the number of youngsters progressing through the academy into the first-team squad.
New Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer has said he’s keen on that continuing.
Before becoming the boss at Ewood Park Bowyer spent plenty of years working with the Blackburn academy where the likes of Manchester United and England international Phil Jones came through under his watch.
He’s looking for others to follow in the footsteps of Henry Cameron, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Luke Higham and be in and around his first-team squad at Blackpool.
This has seen Bowyer tell the Official Website he’ll be putting academy coach Ciaran Donnelly ‘under pressure’ to keep them coming as producing (using, in some cases selling too) our own players is ‘massively important.’
‘My background has obviously been through the youth development and academy at Blackburn and that’s something that is close to my heart. You only have to see the success that Ciaran and the youth team have had recently with players getting in and around the first-team. That’s massively important to a club.
Adding.
‘I’m going to put him under pressure because I think there might be one or two more looking to come through, and that’s great. Fans love a local one that comes through the youth ranks so hopefully that can continue.’
As we know Richie Kyle is remaining on the first-team coaching staff.
He, like Donnelly, is familiar to Bowyer from his Blackburn days with his praising them for helping him to settle a ‘little bit quicker’ at Bloomfield Road, finishing by saying.
‘I know Richie because he was in the Blackburn academy coaching when I was there and I know Ciaran as well from his Blackburn days. It’s good to come into a place where there’s one or two familiar faces already because it just helps you settle in that little bit quicker.’
