10 Bristol City youngsters set to get chance which could save club millions

Nigel Pearson has afforded no fewer than 10 of Bristol City’s young players to train with the first-team.

The Robins boss has not been afraid to dip into the clubs talented academy structure for players for his first-team. He has handed debuts to; Alex Scott, Sam Bell, Tommy Conway, Cam Pring and Ayman Benarous, with Max O’Leary also getting an influential role in the side.

As the club have cut its cloth accordingly and continued to reduce the wage bill, several players from the academy have made the step up. The 59-year-old at the moment is not looking to loan out of any of his players and will instead run the rule as to whether any of them could force him into saving money this summer.

Next week, Nigel Pearson will take his squad to Austria, and several of the Under-21 and Under-21 players could be a part of that training camp.

He said: “We’ve got about 10 of them training with us this week then we’ll make a decision on who then comes to Austria with us.

“Last year Seb Palmer-Houlden came with us and did really well. Alright it didn’t then kick in to the season with the first-team, he had a great year with the Under-21’s.

“It’s an opportunity for us to get a look at now not just physically but whether those players are able to cope with the competition, and demands of pre-season.”

Bristol City’s Under-21’s team have been competitive for the last few seasons despite losing their best players to the first-team. Seb Palmer-Houlden is being tipped as the next player to make the breakthrough meanwhile Harry Leeson has been on the fringes.

In pictures and videos released by the club, the likes of Jed Meerholz, Ephraim Yeboah, Elijah Morrison, Marley Rose, and Mac Boyd are all trying to impress Pearson.

The off-season is a chance for many to recharge the batteries but for younger players, they are still at a point in their life where their body is changing. Any work in the gym can help prepare from the physical demands of the senior game.

Pearson added: “Even in a break of six or seven weeks, it is always quite revealing when you see the players back, some of them make quite visible transitions.

“You don’t get many opportunities in a Championship or Football League season for physical adaptions because once pre-season is over it’s basically managing the games programme for the whole year.

“Last year was a bit different because we had the World Cup, that break I think was very positive for us, we got a number of injuries.

“The close season if you like is an opportunity for players to work at themselves, and work at their own physicality whether that be strengthening or put muscle bulk on, it depends on the individual.

“It’s always an interesting time, and this week will be an interesting look for us as staff at the players, and we’ll see where they’re at.”