More to come from Academy
ROCHDALE Academy manager Tony Ellis believes there are plenty of other youth team players capable of making their way into the first team.
Andy Cannon became the latest youngster to make his debut for Dale at the weekend, following in the footsteps of Jamie Allen, Scott Tanser and several others who have come through the ranks.
With that in mind, Ellis feels the future looks bright for Rochdale.
“We have some really good players coming through and a lot of them are capable of stepping up,” he said.
“We’re still progressing and we’re going the right way about it so now we have to ensure we continue to develop like we are doing.
“We can’t just stand still now after a bit of success, we need to keep going. The relationship between the youth team and the first team is really strong at the moment.
“Chris Beech was in charge of the academy and now he’s the assistant manager so he is well aware of what the youngsters are capable of.”
Rochdale’s youth set-up has taken off in recent years, with seven players currently in the first team who have progressed through the academy.
Ellis believes a development plan put into place several years ago is a major factor in the success the club has achieved.
“Along with Keith Hill and several others, we created a seven-year plan in 2008 that allowed the academy to develop,” he said. “We decided on different visions and philosophies and it was important that the plan continued all these years.
“We had two other managers in Steve Eyre and John Coleman during that time but they were happy with our work and allowed us to continue.
“Now we have the right people in place who work above and beyond what’s needed to produce players for the football club.”