James Collins says club will find solution so youngsters will get more individual coaching.

First team coach James Collins has told crewealex.net that the club will come up with a solution to make sure that our collection of Academy graduates will continue to receive individualistic coaching. The club have undergone a summer review covering many aspects and making sure our younger players continue to receive their development work has become a top priority.

With the introduction of the Elite Players Performance Plan (EPPP) young players are being asked to play more matches than ever before and last season saw us travel to London to face the likes of Charlton and Queens Park Rangers. Although Collins sees huge benefits stemming from the restructuring of Academy football, he also sees the negatives.

James told the club’s official web-site: “I think it is vital that our young players get more development work. It is important for them to come through and improve.

“With EPPP this has become more difficult because there are a lot more games and most of Under-21s make up the first team squad. Whilst the bigger clubs may have a separate Under-21 squad, most of ours have to play on a Monday and then be on the bench for the first team if we play on a Tuesday night.

“It has been difficult to find that balance and it is not ideal for a player to be travelling on a Friday for a game and then rushing back to be involved with the first team on a Saturday, but we have to get on with it.

“We have had many discussions about our young professionals getting that real coaching work, the individual stuff out on the training ground. We will find a solution to make sure that no-one is missing out.

“We won’t be sacrificing that going forward and will make it work.”