Youth teamers given chance to shine
A number of youth team players have trained with the first team this week as Micky Mellon looks to aide their development.The likes of Chris Gallagher, Callum Roberts and Ryan Sears all spent time in and among the first team as they look to impress the management staff.
Developing players has always been of the upmost importance at Shrewsbury Town and manager Micky Mellon believes that this will help then in the next stage of their progression.
“We try and gage where they're all at in terms of their development,” Micky told ShrewsWeb.
“If we believe they are at a stage in the youth team that they are succeeding, then they are probably ready to come up with us and train with us as the next step in their development with the first team.
“Then they will learn that things have to go a bit quicker and people will start shouting at them, and they might, if they dwell on the ball, feel the physical side of it.
“So, that is the next part now and what you do is you gage, when you get them in among that, where they are at then.”
“They've done really well, so they can mix it in with the first team in training and then you just gradually keep trying to bring them on by providing challenges for them in order to get them closer or ready to play in the first team here.
“They've still got a long way to go. It might be that they have to go and do what the lads that are a bit older than them are doing now, the likes of Ethan, Kaiman and Callum that are playing men's football, because they are handling the training fine now.
“The next stage is to go out and actually play at a level where things are expected of them and people get upset if you don't win and it means an awful lot.
“Then you gage that and then you'll see if they're ready to go and play in League One,” added Micky.