Younger lads are playing for a Bradford City career (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Younger lads are playing for a Bradford City career

2:30pm Thursday 24th March 2011 in Bantams By Lee Bullock

Lee Bullock column

It was a pleasure to play alongside the young lads in the reserves the other night.

Sometimes those games can be a bit of a chore for the older ones but the younger players all gave a great account of themselves and made it really enjoyable.

They were up against a very experienced Derby side and I thought they were a credit to themselves and the youth staff at the club.

It’s a difficult time for them as they wait to find out who will be getting pro’ contracts.

You’ve set your heart on becoming a footballer and for some it will be the first step on the ladder. But for others it will feel like the end of the road and they will suddenly have to think about trying a new direction as a career.

This decision could end up shaping the rest of their lives. It must be incredibly tough at 18 to be told that you’re not going to make it.

It was a bit easier when I was that age because clubs tended to take on five or six youngsters and then give them a year or two’s chance to prove themselves.

These days success has to be pretty instant. Maybe only one or two will get contracts and then they are expected to make an impression very quickly.

With less opportunities, the competition becomes more fierce. You might have two lads who’ve played centre midfield together right the way through, for example, and now suddenly they are fighting each other for one place.

For those lucky enough to be taken on, they have got to adapt to the dressing room straight away.

They’ve passed stage one but must show they can cope with that next level of being among the lads. They have to make their mark in the squad without getting their heads turned by agents and all that carry-on.

It’s down to good old-fashioned hard work from then on to earn their opportunity.

Right now, every one of them is being judged. It’s not just by Wethers or Peter Horne but the new management team, the two chairmen and David Baldwin.

It’s a tense time but the way they played on Tuesday, and against Rotherham last week, will give them every chance.