Jon McCarthy says the future is bright for Chester
SAM HUGHES might not realise the full impact his move from fan-owned Chester to Leicester City is going to have over the coming years just yet.
At 20 years of age who can blame him as he looks to an exciting new chapter in a young career that really took off in the National League last season.
But back in the Blues’ nursery where he was carefully nurtured, it will have a seismic ripple effect. Hughes is now the poster boy for the club’s academy – the first in what they hope is a long line of their own gems who graduate into the first team and beyond.
“I’m trying to make sure everyone recognises just what they’ve done,” says first team boss Jon McCarthy. “As a group, it’s a volunteer-led academy with one paid position. So actually, it’s a load of dads and coaches who do it for nothing and have spent a lot of time on Sam and all the other kids.
Demands
“To get Sam Hughes up to a level where he comes into the first team, then progresses and for the board to do the business they have is great.
“Where we’re at there’s a lot of pressure for us to take the first offer. We had that in January but the board have been really professional and got ourselves a good deal with all the clauses that could benefit us in the future.
“The club has to take a lot of credit, but it’s also the lad. I guess in these circumstances everyone wants to mention that, but it just is. His rise and willingness to learn, to be coached and improve – he’s so professional and he deserves to be at that level.”
Swettenham Chemists sponsor Chester’s youth teams and put money in that ensures a couple of young players link up with the first team for training alongside their education commitments.
“We model it on what League clubs do,” McCarthy says. “Our Academy team – our 17 and 18year-olds – all get an opportunity to train with the first team in the first half of the season.
“Then when we’ve seen everybody, we target the four or five best. We liaise with their schools and work out which days they can come in. They’re in at least once or twice a week training with the first team so when it comes to making a decision on the sponsored money we have, we know which ones. They’ve been in the environment and they almost pick themselves because they’ve been training with the first team and you have to cope with the demands.
“Sam Hughes is really the first one through this process. Physically, he had no problems competing with the group. He went out on loan to Witton and didn’t do that well if we’re honest. Young kids develop at different stages – just like they do with their maths and English. That’s when it clicked with Sam when he came back. He started to grow, played some games the season before last and then just grew and prospered.”
McCarthy hopes youth will help the club continue to grow too. But, like any manager in his position, it’s like walking a tightrope. The balance between blooding young players and getting three points on a Saturday is a fine one.
“There’s an emphasis here, and it’s a big break from other clubs, but the only way we’re going to move onto the next level financially is if we produce some of our own players,” McCarthy says.
Contradiction
“We’ve got a chief executive in Mark Maguire who knows the process and that allows us to make more of the sponsorship and business opportunities so we’re in a better position when things like this happen. Previously we lost Ben Heneghan for nothing up to Motherwell because, hey listen, we’re supporters – the board work all day and come in and volunteer.
“I suppose there’s a contradiction. I can’t afford to play young lads blindly because we need to win matches. And yet, there’s an emphasis on producing one of our own. So there’s almost got to be a space in our
team for one of our academy players because we always need to have one eye on that. It’s very much a strategy we want.”
McCarthy will aim to blend that once again this season with the National League nous he has added so far this summer.
England C striker James Alabi looks to be on his way out, and Luke George has joined Hartlepool, but the arrivals so far certainly bring a wealth of experience.
Striker Ross Hannah, top scorer two seasons ago, has returned from Barrow, Macclesfield captain Andy Halls has been followed by two more Silkmen, John McCombe and returning midfielder Kingsley James (above). Barrow’s Paul Turnbull and former Luton and Torquay defender Lathaniel Rowe-Turner have also signed up in an eye-catching summer shopping spree. McCarthy says it’s a result of the board’s willingness to change the strategy and allow him to bring in some leaders who can help them push on. Last season was a mixed one. The first half went well and they were in the play-off mix around Christmas. But ultimately a small squad was overstretched by injury and they slid down the league, only securing safety in the final week of the season.
Football fans, by nature, want success and Chester’s dream of the Football League. But it’s easy to forget the club were only formed in 2010 from the ashes of Chester City and are still, metaphorically, in short trousers.
Fan-ownership has its challenges but McCarthy says it makes the highs more special – something he hammers home to his players – and he points out the size of the fanbase at a club where the players frequently engage in the community.
Ultimate aim
“They should celebrate it,” McCarthy, who has appointed midfielder Tom Shaw as his player-assistant, says.
“It’s volunteers! Every hour someone puts in is amazing. There’s a lot of teams behind us, financially, ready to take our place. We only have to look at what’s happened to an Altrincham or a Southport to see the threat.
“The fans should recognise and realise – and this is not defeatist – what they’ve achieved and celebrate the fact we’re going up against the big teams in this league.
“The ultimate aim is to go on again. The longer we’re here, the more we grow, the more organised we become, the more this model evolves and becomes more secure. I can see that. I’ve worked in the community trust and as assistant manager. I can see how much the off-field stuff has improved.
“We’ll get through another season and keep moving forward and be better again. Gradually we’ll have a chance to really establish ourselves and go for the next level.
“It’s doable and it’s possible to get back up there.”