Former Bristol Rovers defender Byron Anthony has been promoted to serve as the club’s new academy manager with Brian Dutton departing due to family reasons.
Anthony, who was previously working as head of academy coaching, has now stepped up to take the top job and will oversee the progress of all age groups and ensure the pathway continues to the first team. Anthony, who made 190 appearances for Rovers between 2006-2012, has also been an academy coach at Newport County and Swansea City.
Dutton was appointed as academy manager in March, succeeding Chris Hargreaves and returning to the Gas after having formerly been part of Darrell Clarke’s coaching and recruitment team.
“It’s a role I’m excited to get my teeth into and look forward to implementing some of my vision alongside the club’s aspiration of continuing to develop some homegrown players,” Anthony told the Bristol Rovers website.
“Hopefully we can close that gap between the 18s and the first-team and have players prepared earlier, as quickly as we can do. We’ve had success in the past and we look to the future now and how we can develop players even more and get even more homegrown players in the first-team because that’s what the fans want. They can see that with the likes of Luca Hoole, being a player who’s shone in a promotion season.”
Academy graduate Luca Hoole played a significant role last season as Rovers earned promotion from League Two, making 29 league appearances at right-back and will be an integral member of Joey Barton’s first-team squad for the forthcoming campaign.
Alfie Kilgour is also fit again after a season lost to injury, having emerged through the age groups in north Bristol.
The latest crop includes teenage striker Harvey Greenslade and defender Jamie Egan who signed professional deals earlier this summer. Greenslade was included in the Rovers team against Melksham on Friday, along with fellow youngsters Jerry Lawrence and Sam Heal, and has joined the rest of the squad in Portugal for their summer training camp.
“They’ve done well in the Under-18s and both have quite rightly deserved their opportunity to become professional footballers,” Anthony added, in discussing Greenslade and defender Jamie Egan, who also signed pro terms this summer.
“The hard work starts here for them now. They’ve gone into the first-team squad where they’ll be expected to fight for their place.
“It won’t be easy, their first initial stages in pre-season will be really tough. But that’s what we’re here for, we’re here to get those players prepared for that opportunity and when they go up into the first team, support that transition, and when they move on further again - playing regular games in the first team - we can support that as well.
“For me, it’s a great thing to have light at the end of the tunnel. Especially someone like Harvey, who’s come from 7, 8, 9, right the way through the system and gone onto to become a professional footballer, that’s what celebrates success as a football club.
“But, more importantly, for the academy and players within that, parents and guardians across the city and further afield, to see their sons and grandsons in and around the Bristol Rovers academy it shows there is opportunity there and if they are good enough, they will get that.”
READ NEXT
