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Gibson sees the promise in young players
BARNSLEY's new development coach, Stuart Gibson, is relishing the chance to work with the club's young stars.
Gibson has been brought in by Reds boss Simon Davey to help youngsters make the leap to first team football.
A number of the club's academy and reserve team players have played the odd game for the seniors, but there have been no standout players in the last few seasons.
Promising youngsters such as Jacob Butterfield, Jamil Adam, Luke Potter and Reuben Noble-Lazarus have at some time played for the seniors.
But with the club having struggled to maintain their Championship status the last few seasons, Davey has often opted for experience over youth.
Davey is more than happy to give his young players the chance to shine though - and Gibson is at Oakwell to help them make that improvement to further their careers.
"This type of role I'm taking up is quite new in football. If I'm honest, in this country I think we're very poor at developing these kids aged 18-22" Gibson told The Star.
"It's a very important time for a footballer at these ages, these players want to be playing regular football for the first time.
"I see myself as a cog in the wheel to try and get some of these young players into the first team on a Saturday. It would be bigger than winning the Champions League if I managed to achieve that."
Gibson and Davey first met in 1997 at Darlington when Davey was still a player. They would often bump into each other on the football circuit, the last time which saw Davey inquire about Gibson's services.
"I was a Plymouth (Argyle] as a coach and helped Simon sort out their training facilities " added Gibson, who managed clubs in Sweden and Norway between 2006-2008.
"We've known each other since Darlington and I've always had a lot of respect for him. I'm looking forward to this challenge. To be honest, I've been out of football for six months so I'm glad I've got this job, it's a great opportunity.
"18-22 is a golden age for these kids and working alongside Simon and the Academy Manager (Ronnie Branson], and the other staff at the club, I'll be trying my best to get some of these ready."
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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