Steve says young guns will have learned about mental and physical demands of League One
Crewe Alexandra boss Steve Davis says going through another tough season and surviving on the final day will only act as a fantastic learning curve for his young players. Despite it being a tough division with some former Premier League clubs involved in it, the Alex boss has continued to blood the club’s youngsters throughout his three and half years in charge.
Last season, Davis has handed full debuts to up and coming Academy graduates such as George Cooper, James Jones, James Baillie and Callum Saunders, as well placing his faith in the likes of Ollie Turton, George Ray and even young loanee players such as Greg Leigh and Uche Ikpeazu.
The Alex boss told crewealex.net: “We had a very young group and we will properly be even younger next season, but this what this club is all about. It is sometimes tough for the young players to learn on the job when they are trying to compete in League One.
“That is why we are cautious with them. They go in and usually have a taste of it and then we take them out of the firing line again. Young players usually experience a dip in form because it is tough going both mentally and physically.
“We have young players throughout the squad. Ben Garratt is still very young for a goalkeeper, Harry and George have played a number of games now but are still young for centre-halves and Ollie has played in most of the games.
“We then have the first year professionals and the likes of Coco, who doesn’t have a lot of experience either. I ‘m sure they would have all benefitted from the experience and coming through it in the end. It will help their state of mind and they will know what to expect a bit more now.”