Nigel Pearson has emphasised the importance of Bristol City developing home grown talent after confirming professional deals for six of the brightest talents coming through the youth ranks at Ashton Gate.
A year after City granted long-term contracts to six youngsters, four of which are now firmly part of the first-team, they have followed suit with the latest intake, who Pearson hopes can make the leap from Under-23s football into the senior set-up.
Full-back Callum Wood and centre-back Jamie Knight-Lebel, recently called up by Canada at youth level, have signed three-year contracts, goalkeeper Mac Boyd has a two-year deal while midfielders Tommy Backwell and Omar Taylor-Clarke and forward Seb Palmer Houlden have each been awarded a one-year agreement.
Throughout his time as City manager Pearson has used the academy as a resource, with eight players developed at the club earning their debuts since he was appointed in February, including Alex Scott, Ayman Benarous, Tommy Conway and Sam Bell.
That is, in part, down to the financial restrictions that now exist in the Championship whereby clubs have to curb their spending on wages and transfers and can't buy their way out of trouble. But also - as evidenced by the fantastic season Scott has experienced - the talent is very much there.
That evidence of the much-vaunted pathway - which has been a pet project of owner Steve Lansdown - has a residual effect beyond just giving an individual an opportunity, because it gives others in the academy a tangible goal to try and achieve, knowing opportunities are there.
"One of our aspirations as a club is to produce home grown talent who make it into our own team," Pearson said. "The success of some of those youngsters this year coming through into the first team gives us greater impetus with how our Academy is structured because our young players get opportunities if they are good enough.
"I know Tinns (Brian) is very keen for us to be aligned so that people understand what we are trying to produce. It's very important that we do produce home grown talent and we are on the same page in terms of how we operate as a club so hopefully the future remains very bright for us."
The group contains two-Bristol born youngsters with Palmer-Houlden enjoying an especially prolific season at U18 and U23 level. Wood enjoyed a fruitful loan at Bath City before returning to Ashton Gate earlier this year and starting at left-back for the U23s.
Knight-Lebel has been a regular in the centre of defence while Backwell and Taylor-Clarke have showcased their ability in midfield and Boyd is an emerging goalkeeper potentially following the footsteps of Max O'Leary and Harvey Wiles-Richards, now second and third choice in the first-team squad.
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