It's always nice to get back on the grass and already we are excited for the start of the new season.
Pre-season has gone well so far and all the new faces have settled into the mix. It's a new-look under-18s team this year so we've been working hard to try and get every player settled and up to our way of thinking.
Some areas have been difficult because we have been short of numbers and that has meant a lot of the new players have played more matches than we would usually like them to. We can't complain though because that has all come about with Josh Maja and Joel Asoro enjoying some exposure with the first team.
Elsewhere, Elliot Embleton, Alex Storey, Brandon Taylor and a number of other lads have also been involved with the under-23s squad so that's good for their personal development.
But focusing on the youth team, it's important we get back into the swing of the games as quickly as possible and start working towards the objectives we have set ourselves. We want to finish as high as we can but we want to stay true to the principles we have. That's really important because it's all about the players learning and developing with our core values.
Hopefully if we get it right then we will be able to get the players ready for the next step because there is that pathway there for them to move up if they do well.
