A host of Colchester United youngsters featured against Southampton
COLCHESTER United under-21 boss Elliott Ward says the club’s emerging talents have earned their opportunity to impress alongside the first-team squad - but insists their development remains the key priority this season.
The likes of Milton Oni, Ronnie Harvey, Kien Connolly and Kaion Lisbie were all part of the U’s squad for their Carabao Cup tie against Southampton, following impressive progress within the club’s academy, while the likes of Max Jolliffe, Makise Evans and Lennox Emery have also had first-team game time in pre-season.
Ward believes that their involvement has been fully deserved, while the next challenge is to establish themselves in Danny Cowley’s plans for as long as possible.
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“They had a brilliant year, last season,” Ward said.
“That’s why they’ve been with the first team trying to break in and they’ve given themselves the platform to be there.
“Now they’ve got another platform to try and stay there as long as possible.”
Colchester’s under-21s begin their new Professional Development League season on Friday with a trip to play Fleetwood Town (kick-off 2pm).
Ward says the make-up of the group will become clearer once the U’s first-team squad has settled, with a number of younger players expected to step up from the under-18s.
“Once it settles down and the squads are in place, I think we’ll start to see what the 21s will look like, this season,” said the former West Ham United and Norwich City defender.
“I expect a lot of 18s in the group.
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“We had a really good loan system last year as well so we’ll be looking to maximise the boys’ experiences as well as soon as we can and build into the season.”
Ward says loans will again be an important part of the pathway for Colchester players who need senior exposure, as they look to build on the progress made by their young prospects.
The U’s compete in the Category Two academy programme, where Ward admits the landscape is increasingly challenging following changes among rival clubs.
“The challenge is always to try and help the players learn,” he said.
“Cat Two is tough. We’ve lost a few teams who have gone up to Cat One or have dropped out completely.
“It’s always difficult – we’re always one of the smaller clubs but we have a real good battle against the teams and we try and be the best we can.”
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For Ward, however, results are secondary to ensuring every player is equipped to deal with the demands of a professional career.
“It’s about the boys’ development,” he added.
“We try and develop them in all of the different scenarios.
“The boys get stressed and challenged a lot and we have to work out the best way to support them, in those moments.”
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