Boss says teenagers will make mistakes after stepping up to first-team level

Steve Davis says that his latest Academy graduate James Jones will need a bit of time to adjust to the tempo of first-team football. The 18-year-old midfielder made only his second start for the club at Notts County on Saturday and the Crewe Alexandra boss has asked for patience to allow the talented teenager to find his feet at the new level.

Steve told the club’s official web-site: “James is finding the tempo and the level hard but that is to be expected from a young player. It was only his second start on Saturday and he found it hard when the going got tough.

“He has given the ball away too easily at times and when not under pressure, but it is a big step up for him and James Baillie. It is not an easy transition to step up from Youth football and they are still learning the game.

The boss added: “They work hard and kept going for us but we need to show a degree of patience because they are young lads and they will make some mistakes as they develop.”