NIGEL Clough believes that producing Academy players for the first team is crucial to the club and is delighted with the current crop of graduates.
Four Academy graduates have started for the first team in League One this season in Joe Sbarra, Ben Fox, Reece Hutchinson and Marcus Harness, while Marcus Dinanga and Callum Hawkins came through the ranks.
Clough is pleased with how the Young Brewers are progressing in the first team and believes that the Academy is crucial for Burton Albion, as developing players allows the club to bolster the squad without spending huge fees on players.
He said: “Five out of the current 18 have come through the Academy, which is brilliant. John Brayford obviously came through the college team, not really the Academy because we didn’t have one when he came through, but he came through the youth system here.
“To have Foxy, Sbarra, Reece (Hutchinson) and Marcus (Harness) is brilliant. We have to produce our own players. Financially, it makes far more sense to produce your own and it is lovely when they are involved and playing in League One.
“All of the youngsters in the squad are getting experience all the time. I think that it helps with not having an under 23s side, because they come straight out of the Academy and into the first team. It is sink or swim and they are all swimming at the moment.”