Rangers set to give youth a chance

Stafford Rangers assistant boss Steve Wynn believes Marston Road is where boys will again become men next season as the club continue to give youth a chance.

Rangers are in the midst of assembling their final squad for the campaign ahead but are expected to dip into the loan market as the year wares on, having forged good links with the likes of Stoke and Port Vale.

Those clubs, along with others, see the likes of Rangers as an ideal grounding for their academy and reserve players and are happy for non-league clubs to borrow their youngsters and further their education.

It's an initiative that has seen the likes of Tom Thorley, Ross Davidson and Jermaine Johnson flourish at Marston Road over the last 18 months, with all going on to become first-team regulars and play for the club after their professional dream had ended.

And Wynn, who came through the Manchester United academy as a schoolboy before going to forge a successful career in non-league football, believes the Blue Square North provides an invaluable grounding for teenage prospects.

He said: "When you are 18, 19 years of age, I personally believe this league is the place to be. You will learn quickly and, as a young kid, you don't want to be sat on the bench for six months somewhere because you are not developing.

"That is the one thing that academy football does lose touch with a little bit, that physical side of it. These young lads can do the pretty stuff there but when they go into the big world, real football if you like, they are like rabbits in the headlights.

"When you are going up to clubs at this level on a Tuesday night in a competitive game, where they are pressing you all over the pitch in every position, you learn to make decisions on the ball very quickly.

"Yes, you will make mistakes, but that is the way to learn."