DEVINE PLOTS A PATH FOR YOUNG BANTAMS
DANNY DEVINE believes he is proof Bradford City’s youngsters can come out of the academy and into the first team at Valley Parade.
The 18-year-old midfielder agreed terms on a new three-year deal as manager Stuart McCall looks to ensure their most promising youngsters remain in Yorkshire for the foreseeable future.
Winger Ellis Hudson, 17, recently signed a two-year deal, while 18-year-old striker Reece Webb-Foster is another to commit his future to the club.
Hudson has been a rare fixture for the Bantams, while Webb-Foster is out on loan with National League side Guiseley, but Devine has been a mainstay of McCall’s League One side this year.
And the youngster thinks the example he has set can inspire Bradford’s youngsters to keep faith and push towards firstteam action.
“It’s important because the youth team players can see they’ve got a chance with me, Ellis and Reece,” Devine said.
“They aren’t just playing to the end of the season and then not getting anything. They’ve got a realistic chance of being offered a contract.
“They’ll be looking at me and saying they can do what I’ve done. It will give them belief to push on and show the gaffer what they can do.”
Devine was given his first pro deal only in the summer, and the new contract, committing him to the club until June 2019, came out of the blue.
Though his rise has looked serene, the player revealed that he did not expect life at Bradford to pan out so well.
“I didn’t expect this come October,” he said. “I thought I’d be fighting for a contract at the end of the season.
“I’ve never been in this situation before, of not having that pressure of thinking I’m playing to earn a new contract.”