‘It’s getting tougher but this club has a tradition’
Allan McManus admits it is becoming increasingly harder to blood youngsters through the ranks.
However, the Saints youth chief insists that the future is bright for the Buddies having seen the likes of Ethan Erhahon, Sam Jamieson and Cammy MacPherson all impress in the first team this season.
His predecessor David Longwell was pitoval in a number of other players making their way through the youth ranks and into the first team, not least Kenny McLean and Lewis Morgan.
But McManus says he has trust in the club’s methods to be a continued success.
He said: “The club has a great tradition of bringing through great young players.
“My job and the staff’s job is to continue that conveyor belt. It will be tough but we believe we have got some good young players here at the moment that over the next few years will be ready to make that step.
“It is very pleasing and the challenge has always been to continue the fantastic work that David Longwell managed here.
“To pick up where he left was always a challenge but getting some of the guys through has been very pleasing and I just have to thank the staff around myself for playing their part in that.
“It is getting harder but with having the best makes it better. St Mirren head of youth Allan McManus has heralded the installation of the club’s new training surface for giving kids the chance to make their way in the game.
The new 4G pitch at Ralston is now in use thanks to a funding boost from fans trust SMISA, who helped foot the bill thanks to their quarterly spend.
The youth academy and the club’s reserves will be the main beneficiaries of the new surface as the first team continue to train on the grass pitches alongside.
And McManus insists the pitch will only help the club continue to make inroads in nurturing their own young talent, which has seen the likes of Jason Naismith, Stevie Mallan and John McGinn all progress through the ranks in recent seasons.
McManus said: “It is absolutely fantastic. I think everybody knew that We have got to keep working hard.”
The likes of Conor McBrearty and Aaron Reid have also impressed while out on loan and McManus believes it is pivotal to their development.
He said: “It is vitally important for them to go out on loan.
“It is early days yet but to get the players out and play competitive first-team football, to play for three points and win bonuses will only enhance their chances of being ready if and when they are called up by the manager.” it needed done and we can already see a difference in the quality and standard of training.
“It is beneficial to both the academy in the evening and the reserve team during the day. It has certainly given everybody a lift.
“It is vitally important and it is something that the club has worked really hard on in the background for the last 18 months. I am delighted the chairman has managed to get it over the line.
“The impact that it will make going forward will be a massive difference to everybody that gets to use it.”
The pitch comes following months of investigation behind the scenes to ensure the club purchased the best affordable pitch.
The surface replaces the one that had been in use for almost a decade and was in urgent need of repair or replacement.
McManus revealed that he and chairman Gordon Scott scoured far and wide to pick the pitch that was right for them.
He added: “We saw several pitches here but we felt that it would be beneficial to go further afield to check out the latest facilities in Holland.
“We were fortunate enough that we identified one or two quality surfaces .”
Having benefitted from SMISA funding on numerous occasions since he was appointed to the role of head of youth development, McManus reserved a special thanks to the trust for continuing their support.
He said: “We can’t thank SMISA enough, not just with the pitch but with a lot of hard work, effort and sponsorship with the academy in particular over the time I hace been here.
“We have to thank them and hopefully with the impact they have had on the academy they will play a part in some of the young players coming through in the future.”