Sheffield Wednesday U21’s manager, Andy Holdsworth, says it’s huge for young players to see their teammates getting chances at first team level.Under both Danny Röhl and last season’s manager, Darren Moore, a host of academy players were given first team debuts at the club, and this season Bailey Cadamarteri rapidly rose through the ranks from being an U21to a fully-fledged member of Röhl’s first team.
It’s the sort of pathway that can be big for the emerging talent at a club, and with a big preseason ahead given the size of Wednesday’s squad as things stand, Wednesday’s youngsters know that the German isn’t afraid of using them if they can prove that they’re good enough.
“It’s massive,” Holdsworth told The Star recently. “It’s part and parcel of why we’re here, we’re here to try and players up into the first team. Bailey has jumped into there and done well in parts of the games he’s been involved in. We’ve also had numerous other debuts, which is pleasing for us, and when you’re a young player and you see a mate who you’ve been with since eight or nine years old going into the first team, you can see that’s where you want to be.
“We always say that you’ve got to try and affect the first team, so when you sign that first professional contract then that’s what you’ve got to try and do – whether that’s in training or games. We’re pleased as an academy that we’ve had that over the last couple of seasons, but especially with Bailey going in there and staying in there.”
