Cod Almighty | Diary

Whatever happened to Josh Fuller?

12 June 2017

Whatever happened to the players the Telegraph used to describe as "local" in the list of Town players each season? The harsh truth is that over the last 20 years fewer and fewer of those we have tried to bring on have made it into the Football League.

Even more harshly, it's also true that the situation has gradually gone from bad to worse. It was disappointing that Daryl Clare only really found his level in the Conference. But then Danny North and Darren Mansaram spent most of their time playing in the League of Ireland. Andy Taylor turned out for Cleethorpes Town in the FA Vase final a few weeks ago, and that's a long way down the football hierarchy. Whatever happened to Josh Fuller, Jonny Rowan and Caine Winfarrah?

This weekend, it's good to see that recent former Mariner Dean Henderson was part of England's squad which has won the under-20 World Cup in South Korea, but how many of those players will make it in the Premier League, or even the Championship? Remember Ritchie Jones? He captained the England under-19s but then fell down the footballing tree and ended up playing for Town in the Conference before going to play in Canada.

The thing is that it will simply be so difficult for those upcoming players to get a chance in their first teams. It's no different closer to home. How many of the Town juniors will actually make the transition into the first team? Optimistically, Harry Clifton may find his way there, since he has been signed up for another year. But the future for Josh Venney and Max Wright is no more than that they have been invited back for pre-season training. Let's hope that's not the end of the line for them.

Jeremy Corbyn got a lot of coverage for promising fans "flexible train tickets" in the election campaign, but a lot less attention was given to his commitment to redirecting 5 per cent of the Premier League's TV income into "the grassroots game". Go along to any non-League side's AGM and you'll find out why that's so necessary. At that level, getting promoted has become an expensive business.

Open Diary's local side, Brightlingsea Regent, managed to win the Isthmian League North this year and next season will play in the Isthmian Premier, one level below the Conference South. It's their third promotion in five years. So immediately they have to embark on yet another round of ground improvements. An additional seating area for 100 is required. More covered standing areas have to be built (the cantilever steels are up already). A 4G pitch would be a godsend. Bigger crowds have to be catered for when they play sides like Dulwich Hamlet and Billericay Town. They may run up against the VAT registration limit. It's a big financial gamble for a club with a £50,000 annual budget.

At their AGM on Friday night, we found that the club is going to gamble that making those improvements will be funded by increased income from bigger crowds through the gate. As it happens, there is some league restructuring at the end of the 2017-18 season, and so only one side will be relegated from the Isthmian Premier League. All they have to do is to make sure they don't finish bottom. If they don't meet the required ground standards they will be automatically relegated anyway.

And this is the problem below the Premier League. Nobody can lightly take a risk on youth. Short-term contracts and the Bosman ruling mean there's little chance of English clubs at lower levels getting a windfall from player sales. Most transfer fees are back at the levels paid in the 1960s rather than the 1990s anyway.

Would anyone take a risk on Paul Wilkinson, Gary Lund or Kevin Drinkell these days if they were among the junior squad? Of course, we'd all like to think so, but in many ways the economics of football are against it.

So, for all that we would like to see a couple of high-profile signings in the coming weeks, let's hope that Slade and Wilko remember that somewhere along the line someone needs to give youth a chance.