Would you watch a Reserve team?

[Colin Appleton]

If and I know it's a big if we get promoted next season, I think we need to have a Reserve team up and running and competing at a reasonable level. Surely having a bunch of players that are on the fringes of the first team or perhaps coming back from injury playing together, would be a far better option than loaning them out to other clubs and you'd also have the added benefit of seeing how good the younger players from the Academy are with a view to them possibly one day breaking into the first team.

I think the club should seriously look at starting a second string next season. I realise there would be a cost involved but I think a second team playing on a regular basis would attract a couple of hundred fans that would more than cover it.

Even if the team wasn't in a league they could possibly play the odd friendly match against other clubs second strings, such as Preston / Morecambe etc .

Just a thought, but as this is a forum to start debate what do you think ? and would you be tempted to go and watch a Reserve team in action ?

[The Real Slim Azza]

No.


Cheers,

Az

[blue nige]

yes if you start watching the first team colin!

[EHB]

Colin,

Not against the idea as such.
The top teams in the country don't even have reserves, it's an u21 but they're often allowed the odd player over the age. That would be more beneficial.

Do you know how much it would cost to run a reserve team?

[Bigfathoss]

Probably not if it wasn't free.

[McMark]

I think that the ultimate aim will be an under-21 team to feed the first team, but would imagine that will be a few years in the making. One step at a time and easy does it, it is Barrow remember.

Probably watch around half a dozen games if they were local, especially if a decent player was trialling or a good player was coming back from injury.

[barrowaberdeen]

Due to work commitments probably some, but not enough.

I don't know enough about it all, but would be much more interested in a reserve team playing meaningful fixtures in say..Holker's League than a reserve league as such. But that would need a link up with some sort of feeder club. I'm not even sure we are allowed to do that and whether or not Holker, Dalton, Cavs, Vickerstown or the like would want or be interested would be a moot point.

Probably best to wait for a U21?

[mrsenario]

What if we had no choice but to form a reserve side. What if we go up this year and buy a squad what goes up next year
Do you not have to have academy set up in place and a reserve team in the pontins league or whatever it's called now
If a miracle happens. We need to have plans and be ready to move on. morecambe won the reserves lancs league year after year but they had to move up to the proper league reserve wise. And yes I would watch reserve games as I've even watched under 18 games on holker street. An improved stadium may attract a few more or something starting to get built on one side of the ground would create a bit of Interest or even ends in the current stand to get pout of the wind

[Darcy3]

The last time we ran a Reserve team was basically on the back of money made from the FA Cup ties and Wembley visit. As the money dwindled the cost of running the Reserves became more acute until value for money and what was to be gained from its presence had to be decided.

The coaches to away games in its last season amounted to nearly £3500 with a couple of car trips to places such as Lancaster thrown in. Add in that all other costs which are numerous, floodlighting, laundry travel expenses the then Board decided to pull the plug.

Was it worth it at the time,probably no....the then managers had no empathy or interest but that to a point was understandable. Getting any first team squad member to play for the Reserves at Barrow on a Wed night was nigh on impossible as at the time we were full time and it was their day off !! As one successful member of our promotion winning team told management. Over the last 3 years of the Reserves only Paul Edwards was a successful recruit via a game at Formby , plenty played but were very rarely watched which was often a huge disappointment to the lads asked to join the Reserves for a game. Read into that what you will.

In its last two seasons the Reserves were a ' club within a club' with the then Directors not even knowing if a game was on or not. Over 70 players were registered and played including 6 signees one Saturday afternoon at Woodley Sports sent through the then association with Salford.

It is interesting ( or not Southport won the last Reserve league we were in and then promptly disbanded the set up as they had gained promotion to the Conference

The dilemma is the Lancashire League of which Darren knows well from his Workington days holds little value with games played on an assortment of nights Mon to Fri. The standard is poor and the pitches even worse. Injury was always a foremost thought of any first teamer thrown in

The Lancashire FA are looking at an Under 21 through the North West Alliance. Barrow in fact asked at the EGM if there was a place for over age players in this format. The idea was turned down as a non starter.

Another avenue looked at by management and the Performance Centre is the Final Third Development League this is an afternoon league split into 3 divisions. The West would at present mean travelling to places such as Shrewsbury, Walsall PortVale on an afternoon ( would this be practical ? at the moment ?. Don't know)

A lot at the moment hinges on where we are next season for further development. Again the Conference has an Under 21 set up but the travelling distances are huge Forest Green Rovers for example

These are just a few thoughts to let you all know the club is looking behind the scenes to the future with regular meetings looking for a way forward and to continue developing the Performance Centre.

SP

[Down The Park]

I understand it's a different world now but back in the Micky Taylor era we had a great reserves set up. Reserves and first team trained together at Holker Street we played in a great Lancashire League against the likes of UTD and City 'A' teams as well as Wrexham Reserves every game seemed like a cup final. We got a good vocal crowd at Holker Street watching our home games (and they paid for the privilege) and the large majority of the reserves (pretty much all local lads) had runs in the first team and several (Kenny Gordon for example) became first team regulars. We often had regular first team players either dropped or coming back from injury play in the reserves because it was a league worth playing in. I even recall when we signed Jim Pearson he played what I believe was his first game in the reserves before becoming a first team regular.

I suppose what I'm saying is if the club could re-create a vibrant situation like that a reserve team would be well worth having, and watching.

It wasn't all roses though these were the days of the team bath so some things do change for the better