PDP Lead Coach Chris Brown reflects on the Youth Team's first half of the season…
Rochdale’s under 18 side go into the festive break sitting second in the EFL Youth Alliance table, two points behind league leaders Wigan Athletic.
Brown is pleased with the progress made by the players since the summer.
“I think we’ve made a lot of good strides,” he said.
“The first years have settled in quickly and they’ve really gelled quickly as a team quickly, and that has shown on the pitch.
“The standards that we, as a coaching staff, demand, and the standards that the players themselves demand from each other, has really helped them build a tight knit environment, and there are good relationships in the dressing room.
“There has been a progression throughout the first part of the season and the players have developed both individually and as part of a team.
“The coaching staff have put a lot of challenges on the lads by playing different systems – we’re trying to accelerate their learning process as much as we possibly can.
“It’s about developing but winning at the same time, so I’m really happy with how it has gone but there is still room to development even further and we’re hoping to get pro contracts at the end of this season, and we’re also trying to get as close to winning the league as possible.
“That’s through hard work every day and progressing individually and collectively to succeed, so it has been pleasing. As a coaching staff, we’re happy, but it’s now on to the next challenge and developing the lads even further.”
The Youth Team are back in action on January 9th, when the face Walsall, and Brown says that although the lads will spend some well-earned time with family over the Christmas break, it’s also important that they keep their fitness levels up.
“We’ve got a bit of time between now and our next fixture but we’ll still be ticking over and keeping our fitness levels up.
“It’ll be a rest period of sorts, but nothing where we’ll be taking our foot off the gas, and then we’ll crack on again in the New Year.”
The full interview is on iFollow.