Could link-up pay dividends now for Town?

many youngsters falling through the cracks at all levels of youth football.

Town’s aim by moving to Category IV is to be able to capture any of those who may have gone by the wayside from 16-years-old and above.

But as in Edmondson’s case, who will be there to pick the players up younger if they are let go or don’t appear to be making the grade at an early age?

This is where the second part of the deal which has seen Edmondson move from York City to Leeds comes in, with both clubs stating they are hoping to build a partnership at Academy level following the transfer.

The move is the second deal between the two clubs in recent weeks after Leeds United goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell joined City on a month’s loan earlier in the campaign.

Any player Leeds United may initially miss can potentially have a safety net through the link wth York, but their own Academy players could also have a platform to gain muchneeded first-team experience with the non-league side.

The lack of first-team opportunities is another fundamental issue in youth development, with many youngsters failing to fulfil their full potential due to a lack of competitive games.

There are, of course, youngsters who are always destined for greatness but for others, Jamie Vardy a case in point, they take more time to develop and a spell in non-league is often the perfect training ground to coax their talent.

It really does seem a case of killing two birds with one stone and, with Huddersfield Town’s recent category change, they could do a lot worse than look at nearby partner football sides in the lower echelons of the Football League pyramid.