Nigel Pearson has switched playing styles, formations, systems and personnel throughout his 13 months in charge of Bristol City but if there’s been one constant, whether by circumstance or design, it’s been providing a pathway from U23 football into the first-team.
City’s struggles on the field have been ever so slightly alleviated by the steady stream of talent that has emerged through the academy with some - Alex Scott, Ayman Benarous and Zak Vyner - becoming first-team regulars, while others - Sam Bell, Tommy Conway and Ryley Towler - have had a taste and been given Championship minutes.
With seven games of the 2021/22 season remaining, Pearson and his players ultimately do want to finish the campaign strongly - for a number of reasons - but there will still be a keen eye on the summer and beyond and there is greater scope and leeway for providing opportunity to younger players.
We’ve taken a look at five players from the U23 set-up who are most likely to have some involvement between now and May 7…
Josh Owers
Named on the bench for City’s 2-2 draw against West Brom having travelled with the squad to a number of away games, it seems only a matter of time before the 19-year-old is given his first-team debut.
That’s not to say he won’t have to earn it but Owers is clearly in Pearson’s thinking and has been rewarded for his consistency of performance at Under-23 level.
That phrase is important because the teenager has all the tenacity and snap in the tackle as you’d expect from that surname, but also a real sensibility and maturity in how he plays, using the ball efficiently and with a real positional intelligence. He looks far more accomplished than his age indicates, put it that way, and has showcased his flexibility - something Pearson likes - by operating at left-back.
Starting a game at present seems a stretch, given the demands in centre midfield and because City are relatively well stocked with Matty James, Han-Noah Massengo, Scott, assuming he returns from his ankle injury after the international break, Joe Williams by mid-April and also Benarous.
But there’s every chance he can earn some minutes as a substitute, particularly towards the end of the season whereby, and he won’t admit as such but, Pearson can be a little more experimental in his line-ups with a view to next season.
Dylan Kadji
Owers' dynamic midfield cohort was also part of the squad against West Brom, without making the 18. Kadji has trained with the first-team sporadically since November - when he signed his professional deal - and it’s clear Pearson has spotted something very promising in the leggy and elegant defensive midfielder.
It’s interesting (and maybe a touch unfair) to compare him with Owers as both are on a similar timeline with regards to making the breakthrough into the first-team.
The former is steady in possession and a real stable presence at the base midfield, while Kadji likes to roam and make big purposeful strides forward with the ball, always trying to break lines with a pass or a dribble. When he’s good, he’s outstanding, but he hasn’t quite found the same level of consistency as Owers.
As mentioned, the depth of talent in centre midfield means a start is probably out of the question, barring injuries which also can’t be discounted, but he’s got every chance of securing a spot on the bench and perhaps earning some minutes as a substitute.
He certainly appears to have a sparkle about him, both in and out of possession, and while the medium-term plan may be for a loan next season, further integrating him into the first-team set-up would make a lot of sense.
Duncan Idehen
Whereas Owers and Kadji have enjoyed a steady progression up the ladder in terms of the youth set-up, Idehen’s inclusion on the bench against Swansea City in February was something of a surprise.
Signed from Grimsby Town last year, the 19-year-old has been a regular for the Under-23 and looks every inch the sort of centre-back Pearson likes. Left-footed, he has good body strength and awareness of danger, loves a tackle and appears competitive in the air.
A considerable proportion of the formula to being a successful defender lies in the head, and the decision-making during a game, and as a result, younger defenders are just prone to more mistakes as their game awareness naturally develops.
What does stand out with Idehen, in the U23 matches that we’ve seen of him, is his reading of the game looks excellent, as he’s a good cover defender behind his full-backs and knows instinctively when to go to the ball or opposition man or hold his position.
He’s obviously still developing and, in many ways, it’s more realistic to forecast for next season but such are City’s issues at centre-back and with likely turnover in the position over the summer, Pearson may well afford him some minutes in preparation for 2022/23.
Zak Bell
Callum Wood at left-back enjoyed an encouraging loan at Bath City, so much so he was brought back earlier than scheduled as a possible precursor for first-team involvement but with Jay Dasilva and Cam Pring competing out there, it looks unlikely the 19-year-old will get a chance to show his potential this term.
Bell is the more reasonable shout as, a returning George Tanner aside, the Robins options at right-back are pretty dire. With Pearson remaining cautious over Tanner’s involvement this season as he recovers from a second hamstring injury, as the season winds down through April into the start of May, there will be little need to risk the 22-year-old’s hamstring, so why not turn to Bell.
The Wales Under-19 international has considerable pace down the right flank, is a real ball of energy and determination and enjoys the physical side of things. He can also whip in a good cross and looks to have all the right attributes to develop into a wing-back, as the manager has craved.
Seb Palmer-Houlden
It's a bit of a long shot, for two reasons. One, never mind the fact he has Chris Martin, Antoine Semenyo (injury status permitting), Andi Weimann and Nahki Wells ahead of him, the next class of strikers already have first-team minutes under their belt in Sam Bell and Tommy Conway.
Palmer-Houlden is also pretty young at 18, and still in the very fertile stages of his development so, to be quite honest, is there any point throwing him into a Championship environment at this point? Possibly not, but where he differs slightly to Conway and Bell is that he's very much a pure central forward.
He has 20 goals for the season at U18 and U23 level and your immediate reaction when watching most of them is, "well, that was a good finish". Adept at holding the ball up or playing on the shoulder and running in behind with good acceleration, all the tools are there for him to become a multi-faceted striker.
He is, understandably so, perhaps a little bit physically behind some of the other names mentioned but with wide shoulders when he does fill his body out he could have some presence in leading that line.
It's ambitious and we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves in hailing youngster's potential at a rate beyond their actual stages of development, because it can be counterproductive, but after such a prolific season in front of goal in the youth set-up, at the very least, Pearson must be considering bringing him into first-team training.
Harvey Wiles-Richards
The 19-year-old has been involved with the first-team in some shape or form for almost a year now, acting as third choice goalkeeper behind Dan Bentley and Max O’Leary and was named on the bench at Blackburn and Barnsley following the latter’s positive Covid-19 test.
Given his position it’s hard to see an obvious route into the first-team, with Bentley now firmly re-established as No1 and O’Leary a solid back-up, with every sign that they’ll be the Robins first and second-choice for next season.
But Wiles-Richards’ patience and performances for the U23 - outside of a dodgy couple of final few minutes at a windy HPC against Cardiff - could well be rewards towards the end of the campaign.
Granted, and this theory stands up with all the names mentioned, Pearson has stated that he doesn’t want to introduce young players into a losing environment that brings pressures beyond just having to play, but by late April, City’s fate will be virtually sealed and although frustration may remain, that sense of stress may have abated a bit, allowing a bit of flexibility in selection with a look to next season. After all, he has to make his debut one day.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
