Nigel Clough believes Mansfield Town academy can be a huge asset to the club for years to come

Nigel Clough says involving Mansfield Town’s U18 and U23 players in first-team training can only be of huge benefit to the club moving forward.
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Clough is a firm believer in blending youth and experience where possible, not only on the training pitch but also when it comes to plunging the best youngsters into first team action.

And whilst he acknowledges it’s not a scenario that can be rushed, he feels it can give him lots of options if required.

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He said: “It’s absolutely vital to either get them involved in games or training and things like that. It’s the best way to aid their development and to speed it up.

The RH Academy has the potential to be a huge asset to the club when it comes to nurturing young players.The RH Academy has the potential to be a huge asset to the club when it comes to nurturing young players.
The RH Academy has the potential to be a huge asset to the club when it comes to nurturing young players.

“We’ve always put great emphasis on the academy wherever we’ve been, and doing our best to get the balance between producing young players and then getting the first team on the pitch as well that can compete.

“The two aren’t always compatible. At Derby we had to be patient because academies take time to really flourish and get players coming through.

"I think this place [the RH Academy] is only about three years old and it’ll take maybe four or five years for the academy to really make a difference since moving here, but we’re delighted with how they’re working and we may have a couple more become pros next year, but it can take almost a five or six-year cycle to make things work.”

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Clough also highlighted once again how it can work both ways when it comes to the youth squads and first team players, with several key members of his squad using the recent U23s game with Leeds United, which resulted in a 1-1 draw in the Premier League Cup, to get valuable minutes with an eye on them returning to the senior fold.

He said: “James Perch got 90 minutes which was really important, as did Danny Johnson and Jason Law, while Kieran Wallace played about 80 minutes, so it topped them up with their fitness which was ideal against a good, young Leeds team.

“Danny Johnson had a few chances and got a goal too and he always looks likely to score when he’s on the pitch.”