WARRINGTON Town manager Paul Carden is looking to add enthusiasm and quality to his squad ahead of the new season.
Carden oversaw a relatively high player turnover after arriving part-way through the 2016/17 campaign, putting more faith in young players as the Yellows turned their season around to make a push for the play-offs in the New Year.
One of the young players Carden put his faith in, 19-year-old Dylan Vassallo, has had trials at Premier League and Football League clubs on the back of his performances, before penning a contract with the Yellows last month.
Carden said: “Obviously every manager has different opinions on players and I just felt with what we had I don’t think we’d have sustained any sort of challenge whatsoever towards the top of the league.
“There was a big turnover of players and you could argue we did alright, we just ran out of games at the end.
“I think one of the key things about the young lads coming in is that they have the enthusiasm, they have the drive, and that willingness to run the extra yard, rather than look at it as a little bit of hard work.
“They want to do well and whether they’re good enough or whether they’ve got talent, they’re just honest, hard-working kids and they make the games come to life.
“Having said that, we’ve got the right experience and we will add the right experience to nurture them along, because one of the things I can’t give them unfortunately anymore is help and encouragement on the pitch when the game’s live and ongoing. I can shout from the touchline, but it’s from the touchline, it doesn’t have the same affect as when you’re in the middle of the pitch.
“So Tony Mac (McMillan) is a big help for the lads, Jay McCarten who’s a good age to do that, and Sean Willo (Williams) who should be influential and then we’ll add.
“Alan Hansen says you won’t win anything with kids. I disagree. I think if we’ve got the right experience lads with the main of it being young lads, 19-23 that kind of age group, fitness and legs and enthusiasm is a massive part of the game and that’s what they offer.”
For Carden that may well mean he and his team keeping an eye out for players like Vassallo, who had never even been in a club system before being spotted during Carden’s Tranmere days recently.
Carden added: “I do think there’s more players out there who’ve not been in a system. There’s different reasons. Family life, people move through parents jobs so they miss opportunities to go to clubs.
“There’s many reasons why people fall through the net.
“We’ve got people out and about and looking and recommending players, not just from above but from below, from Sunday League and these players are starting to get flagged up.
“I was speaking to somebody who’s a League One assistant manager and I said to him one of the biggest things which has opened my eyes about this level and below is that there’s individuals you wouldn’t have any qualms taking to a full time club in the Football League.”
