Unsung hero Ian Kirkwood believes Leighton Town’s forced faith in youth will help lead to a far brighter future for the ailing club.
Fielding a squad made up mainly of teenagers in recent months, Leighton’s first-team have struggled to pick up points against their more experienced Southern League rivals.
The departure of about a dozen senior players in light of the club’s financial problems has opened the first-team door to several talented youngsters still learning their trade at Bell Close.
And Kirkwood, Town’s U18s manager who is one of a handful of volunteers helping to keep the club going, says that throwing some of his young players in at the deep end could help them develop into quality first-team players of the future.
He said: “We have several guys currently playing in the first-team and they’re doing very, very well.
“Last week’s game against AFC Hayes saw some strong performances. You might not think it because of the score, but we actually played them off the park and should have got a result.”
Town were beaten 5-0 by AFC Hayes on Tuesday night, but Kirkwood praised some of his U18 youngsters who have been involved in recent weeks, including, Jordan Chatterton, Jakk Pursey, Brandon Graham and his own son, Bradley. He’s also been delighted with two players who have joined from Luton Town – Jerry Nash and Jordan Davis.
“We’re very grateful to the other local clubs who have been helping us out in recent weeks,” said Kirkwood. “We’ve seen a really good side of the local football community.”
For more see Tuesday’s LBO