When a new manager comes into the club, it usually spells the end of the line for some of the players left behind by the new man's predecessor. This has not, however, been the case for six of the club's younger players, who have all, over the course of pre-season, played their way into the plans of new manager, Steve Thompson.
With former boss Gudjon Thordarson offering deals to three of his own signings in Jake Sheridan, Liam Needham and Dan Martin prior to his shock resignation during the close season, newly-appointed Notts manager Thompson now sees the all three of the youngsters contracted to the club for at least the coming season, after the players impressed their former Icelandic boss sufficiently to offer them new deals beyond their debut seasons as professionals last term.
Added to that the ‘junior' professionals in defenders Tommy Hannigan and Bobby Wilson, as well as wide-man Stef Frost, all added to the first-team squad over the summer, and manager Steve Thompson now has rich-pickings from a pool of quality youngsters from those players left behind from the club's ‘Ice Age'.
And now it would seem that the said players have given the Notts boss, having been in the job almost two months now, something of a selection headache – not that you would hear him complaining, mind!
“I have been impressed with the quality of the young players – Frost, Needham, Martin and Sheridan; they have all done well, and I think professionals will have a positive influence on them” said Thompson, speaking to the Nottingham Evening Post earlier today.
“They can all play in different positions, and when
All of the youngsters – bar the injured Tommy Hannigan – have been involved in some capacity in the club's pre-season preparations in some capacity, with even the untested 17-year old Bobby Wilson getting a run-out in Wednesday's 0-0 draw at non-league
Many of the young starlets are also likely to feature in Sunday's pre-season friendly with Championship outfit
For full details of all the club's pre-season plans, click here.