The Jersey FA Centre of Excellence director has joined the Combined Counties League club for the 2021/22 campaign to take charge of its newly-formed development squad, who will compete in three UK cup competitions as an independent entity from Gary Freeman’s first XI.
However, while each Bulls team will have its own targets when National League fixtures return, Renton is keen to ensure that Jersey’s best young talent have clear chances to turn heads at senior level.
‘I want to concentrate on getting the players who want to play for the U23s in and creating an environment where they feel as though they’re a part of the club – to get them to know that they’ve got an opportunity to play for the first team,’ Renton explained. ‘That will be tough because the players in the first team are at a good age but there will be injuries, suspensions and players unavailable so Gary will be looking at the U23s.
‘Not only is there an opportunity to play together in cup competitions next season, there is also an opportunity to play for the first team in front of 1,000 people. What an incentive that is for our young players.’
Renton says smooth progress from the earliest days of a player’s career is vital to his work – helped by the increasingly valuable JFA Combination club coaches and volunteers.
‘I’m just looking to provide a pathway for the players,’ the former Burnley FC schoolboy footballer explained.
‘When you talk about pathways, it starts from the clubs. The minis, the juniors and the senior teams and then, on top of that, a programme for the better players. You’ve also got the schools teams, the Centre of Excellence from U11s through to U21s, the Bulls U23s, the first team and the Island representative side. What a brilliant pathway we have now, and it’s the same for the girls too with the Player Development Centre and the junior and senior women’s teams.
‘People say our pathway is not perfect, but it’s not bad. It’s better than good.
‘Jersey is starting to be well recognised in terms of producing players. We had two players who came through our pathway in the Wales U16s squad last week, playing against England – Luke Harris and Callum Osmand. Luke is now recognised as one of the best U16s in the academy system in England [with Fulham FC], and he comes from St Clement. How good is that?’
He added: ‘Our players need the opportunity to play something different to what they’ve got now because it will make them better. I just want to give them an opportunity to be the best they can be.’
