October was a great month for the Development Squad with goals, clean sheets, points and a team meal. When results are going your way, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement and positivity of it all and overlook some of the areas of most need. These are often not in the technical ability of the player but in the attributes that make them a person.
In October, seven of our players have been involved with first team football. For some, it was a call-up based upon needs due to injuries and suspensions whereas for others it was recognition of their work rate and attitude at our level. For the remaining players, it is easy to feel down due to the absence of your friends, your goal scorer or your defensive stopper. They look around the dressing room and see new faces that are untested at this level. These are different people to interact with and so it is important to remind them of our purpose. We quickly change the messaging into a positive one, celebrating and welcoming new players to the group whilst acknowledging the opportunities earnt by our teammates. This is a learning opportunity in resilience and adaptability. Multiple changes means we are in the position of providing debuts to four more players. Just like the first team, these are selected as recognition for their commitment but it also highlights how far we have moved-on since those preseason sessions. We now have a deep pool of players that have trained regularly and have an understanding of the roles and expectations we set-out. We have shared our way of playing and rehearsed movements that require contributions from all units of the team. We have tested ourselves; can we bring the learning from training into the match day? Our next challenge comes as we reintegrate absent players back into the squad. We look forward to this as it will lead to competition for places again but we understand this will be easier for some than others. Players will be dropped due to no fault of their own and this will test us all.
The higher the players go in the football pyramid, the more intense the game is played. Youth players are telling us how fast it feels at step seven and how they struggle to get time on the ball. This is also true of the players going up to step four. In both occurrences we need the players to not get frustrated and to trust their abilities. What is missing, is a sharpness and a speed of thought fit for their new level of football. They have to remain focused and not allow negative thoughts of disbelief to set in, as this causes undue anxiety and adds worry to their thought processes. When the call comes to go into any team, the players need composure. That is helped by having a clear understanding of what is expected which puts the pressure on the management team to ensure the pictures are understood.
Our production line of playing talent is starting to show some results. All of the coaches, going back several seasons, that have been involved with developing these young men can be proud to see so many opportunities being afforded. However, it will take time to turn these players into regular, competitive, first team squad members and mistakes will happen. Fans, staff and players will need to show patience and support them all to understand that minutes on the pitch and hours in training sessions are all worthwhile for multiple reasons; physical, technical, mental and social. Development is not a linear process. There will be ups and downs, twists and turns. Embracing their mistakes as learning opportunities will help us all to improve the quality of football at Ashby Avenue.
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