A QUESTION panel consisting of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Ben Robinson, David Oldfield and John Mousinho faced 120 Burton Albion fans at a Q&A session at the Pirelli Stadium last night.
The best question was chosen by the man himself, Mr Hasselbaink and it was won by Stephen Martin. Stephen asked “How important do you believe it is to bridge the gap between the youth academy and the first team?”The Albion have a good reputation of producing young stars through the academy including Matty Palmer who recently made 100 appearances for the club in a defeat away to Fleetwood Town. Sam Austin, Mark Shelton and Liam Slade are the most recent youngsters to come through the ranks at the Pirelli Stadium.
“We are always looking for the next Matty Palmer.” Said Hasselbaink.
"I think it is vital what we are doing, it's the norm in Holland and it is happening more in England.
“I think it is better in Holland how the youth come through and me and David (Oldfield) have worked a lot in youth football.”
With the current situation the Brewers are in, flying high in Sky Bet League One, it is difficult to give the youngsters a chance or a fair chance at that.
“It's not easy, especially when you are competing against the likes of Derby and Nottingham Forest in the local area!” Said the Brewers boss.
The Skipper John Mousinho had his say on the question with him being club captain.
He said “I think that any senior pro can help the lads in the youth team, not just the likes of me and Bev (Stuart Beavon).
“We have a good batch this year of young lads and there's probably going to be a couple that come through and do well.”