Plenty of optimism in rising Salisbury youngsters

The club’s link-up with Sarum Academy and its new building, which is set to open next month, will provide students aged from 16 to 19 the opportunity to take a football studies course incorporated with playing for the Whites.

Boss Mikey Harris says the new structure will provide starlets with a fantastic opportunity to play for the Whites in the future.

“There are some good young players in Salisbury and coming here provides them with a good chance of playing a decent standard of football,” the 28-year-old said.

“In the past, players from this area have gone to academies at Southampton, Portsmouth and AFC Bournemouth, but I think we can bring youngsters through the ranks to end up in the first team.

“We’ve got a fantastic youth set-up here, which is developing all the time.

“Once I’ve settled down a little, I would like to get my teeth into that and put my stamp on it.

“We’ve got a good link-up with Sarum Academy and we have plenty of good players.”

Some of the youngsters who have been training with the club in pre-season are Adam Flint and Sam Roberts.

But teenagers are not the entire crux of the youth system according to Harris, who believes the younger teams/players are just as important.

He added: “Even younger age groups, starting with the under-8s, are very important. It may take time for things to workout but good things do take time and you have to be patient, work hard and you will get your rewards.”

Player/assistant manager Warren Feeney shares the same notion as Harris – that youngsters are integral to the club’s future.

“Sometimes there is not a lot of ambition in kids, especially ones who have come out of big academies,” the Northern Irish international said.

“I’ve been brought up cleaning toilets, my room, but nowadays boys don’t have to do anything like that.

“Thankfully, the youngsters in Salisbury are not like that as they enjoy coming in every day, working hard for each other.”