Ex-Red Paul Wilkinson has defended under 21 football and believes that he can use it to help develop more players for Barnsley's first team.
The 51-year-old has returned to the club as the new under 21 coach to replace Paul Heckingbottom whose role is set to change next season whether he is appointed as the permanent head coach or not. Wilkinson has had a few games at the back end of the season to bed into the role but is looking forward to getting more stuck in next season.
"I'm enjoying it so far," he told the Chronicle. "It was good to get back into the game. I've been assistant manager at Sheffield Wednesday and first team coach there and at Cardiff and then under 21 coach at Norwich more recently. I've gone full circle."
Wilkinson's task is to develop players for the first team to use. Full-back George Williams is one player who has developed in under 21 football as that is where he was first tried out as a left-back before fitting in so ably for the first team. In a general sense, under 21s football is much-maligned and deemed in some quarters to be a step back from reserve teams.
Wilkinson believes it can be effective if it is competitive. He's vowing to ensure his teams always will be. He said: "Under 21s football is about making sure players are ready for the first team. I think when you actually look at it, there are lots of examples of players who have played in the under 21s and then the first teams. It's important that you supplement the first team squad.
"The worry with under 21 football is that it has been a bit too nicey, nicey but it's important for me that I make the players ready for the first team. It has to have the same intensity as first team football and we must play in the same way that the first team do.
There are some players like John Stones, Mason Holgate and James Bree who have bypassed under 21 football but it's still a part of the development for other players. Also it can be useful for non-league players to come in so we can have a look at them."
As one of the senior members of the coaching staff, Wilkinson says he is also there for young coaches like Heckingbottom and Martin Devaney to lean on for experience. He sees Barnsley as a club going places and feels his time in the game can only help.
He said: "Luckily I have done most of the jobs there are to do in football. The most important thing to do is my job well because Barnsley is a club on the up. "I'm here to be a part of it. I'm there for everybody."
Wilkinson naturally has fond memories of his time at Oakwell as he scored important goals, including in the memorable win over Bradford City that saw the Reds make it to the Premiership under Danny Wilson in 1997.
"I was lucky enough to be a part of that great squad. It was an unbelievable time. Danny sort of threw everyone together. He made a lot of new signings in pre-season including myself, Matty Appleby and Clint Marcelle. "We all bonded at the same time and had a great start to the season which set us on the right track."
