HERTFORD TOWN | PRODUCTION LINE

Two more talented teenagers have earned moves to professional clubs this summer

The development and progression of young players is at the heart of everything that Hertford Town do.

Since taking over at the helm six years ago, Ben Herd has overseen the emergence of some extremely gifted young footballers, a number of whom have moved into professional clubs.

The latest are Riley Carr and Liam Crutchett, two teenagers who featured in the first-team in the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central last season at the age of just 16 and have now landed moves to Leicester City and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.

They follow in the footsteps of the likes of Kurai Musanhi, who landed a move to Crystal Palace, and Archie O’Brien who joined Queens Park Rangers earlier this year.

“When we first came in, the development of young footballers was at the very heart of our model,” Herd, who had a long playing career in the professional game, told us. “We give them a platform and the tools they need; I think that’s eight teenagers now who have moved on to professional clubs since we’ve been here, five in the last 12 months, something we’re extremely proud of.

“Both Riley and Liam deserve their chances, but the circumstances behind their moves could not be more different.

“Leicester City have conducted their business impeccably; extremely professional and very respectful to us every step of the way. Their Head of Emerging Talent, Steve Travis, is an absolute gentleman who went out of his way to make sure that as a club we were properly compensated for the work we have done to help Riley reach the level he has.

“Sadly, it’s not been the same with Liam’s move to Brighton and I do think that there should be policies in place that better protect clubs like ours from putting in so much time and effort to develop a young player only for clubs to then come along and ‘play the rules’ in order to take them away from us with no compensation or respect for the work that has been put in.

“But, despite this, I am extremely proud to see Riley and Liam take this step. In Riley’s case, he was released by Stevenage and this is a classic example that there is an alternative route to bounce back.

“He came to us and his ability meant that he was quickly given the opportunity to perform on the Southern League stage. His performances at this level, alongside his exploits in the FA Youth Cup last season, where shone as we made it through to play Arsenal, meant that he was quickly being noticed.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for him now and it all comes down to attitude and application. The hard work and sacrifice really steps up a few notches now and it will be down to how he applies himself, but we know that he has the talent and ability.

“It’s the same story for Liam; we all know what he can do and he has to be able to show it on a consistent basis, day in, day out.”

Herd, who has played over 200 times for the club, will oversee a young group of players again this season as they look to improve upon last season’s finish just below halfway in the table.

“We’ve had a positive pre-season, results have been okay,” he added. “Our model is to go with a young group and I’m pleased with what we have and the unity amongst the lads.

“We are maybe one attacking player away from where I wanted us to be at this point, but I am happy and looking forward to getting stuck into the season.

“It will be an open League this year; budgets do make a big difference at every level and I expect the relegated clubs to all be up there challenging. There’s also a group of clubs, including the likes of Leighton Town, who will also be very strong and then there’s the rest. I don’t see any particular stand-out teams this time around like I did this time last year.

“It always about focussing on ourselves, though, and ensuring that we continue to evolve and move in the right direction.”

Saturday saw the club win on the opening day of the season for the first time since 2014 as they beat Thame United 2-0 with Ben Herd opening the scoring with a free-kick just over a minute into the action. They head to Enfield on Wednesday evening.

IMAGE: @zakmartinphotos

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