Why Cameron Ashia and Dan Vost's Huddersfield Town performances were so important for Lee Grant
This summer has been all about what is new at Huddersfield Town.
A new manager, new coaches, new tactics an lots of new signings – 12 – have created new optimism.
Winning a home League Cup tie was not entirely new, but Wednesday’s penalty shoot-out success over Leicester City was only the third time in the last 10 home games in the competition, which perhaps partly explains why the crowd was only 6,884. Town’s reward is a trip to Sunderland at the end of the month.
In that sort of heady mix a club can lose sight of what they already have. Experienced goalkeeper Lee Nicholls’ big added-time save from Louis Page, then two more to win the shoot-out, were reminders.
But the most important contributions for the long-term health of the club came from the academy graduates who scored their equalisers – 20-year-old Cameron Ashia and 19-year-old Dan Vost.
Debutants in last September's Football League Trophy defeat at Doncaster Rovers, neither had played since until Ashia came off the bench to score the second goal in Saturday's 2-0 win at Reading.
Youth development can never be an optional extra for lower-league clubs. It should be a must even for the giants.
Sheffield Wednesday's success at Bolton Wanderers that night was built on academy players but neighbours United have taken the Steel City lead in youth development with the likes of Oliver Arblaster and Sydie Peck. Barnsley have pushed Vimal Yoganathan and Jack Shepherd forward after successful loans, Bobby Pointon's new Bradford City contract has rightly been celebrated and Doncaster Rovers turned down £500,000 for Jay McGrath this summer. Harrogate Town have revamped their youth set-up, Leeds United have brought back Jonny Howson to improve theirs.
Leicester are clued up too. Winger Jeremy Monga made his first start on Wednesday, but had seven appearances in last season's Premier League as a 15-year-old substitute. Jakub Stolarczyk, Hamza Choudhury, Luke Thomas, Ben Nelson, Kasey McAteer and Will Alves came through their academy.
Huddersfield, who have reinvigorated their academy under chairman Kevin Nagle, cannot miss that boat.
"We want to keep that in our minds and keep working towards that," stresses manager Grant. "We're doing lots of good things to ensure we're able to continue doing that.
"The main thing for all of those guys – and probably no better example than Jay (Sway, an 18-year-old substitute), Dan and Cam but for all of the other guys in the under-21s, -18s, -15s etc – is the way they've been humble enough to come into this group, keep their feet on the ground, work incredibly hard and listen to the senior pros.
"You're going to get lots of advice as a young player because you do things wrong and it can take you a while to learn the intensity of the training. But they're doing it and it is nice to see them get those rewards.
"It's not always going to be scoring winning goals and clawing us back into games against top opposition
"Those young boys know they've got lots and lots of work ahead. For the next hour-and-a-half (he says looking at his watch at 10.30pm on Wednesday) they're allowed to enjoy it as much as they want.
"But I'm super proud to give them those opportunities and they've earnt them. They've had to work really hard in Austria and against Lincoln and Barrow in pre-season, in training-ground games and understanding the way we want to work in training every day. They’re supporting the group really well.”
Vost, a midfielder who started in Everton's academy, was alert to head in the rebound when Dion Charles' 65th-minute penalty was saved.
Ashia, a winger who started on the right but looked more dangerous on the left, curled a brilliant 76th-minute goal to secure a 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes.
Many a manager talks up the importance of youth, then refuse to trust it. With chairmen as trigger-happy as Nagle everywhere, no wonder.
So Vost and Ashia's contributions were an crucial signal from a first-time manager who has signed a team-full of players in this transfer window.
"I said on Saturday (at Reading), really Cam's goal is for the football club It's for (B team coach) Michael Tonge and Worthy (academy manager Jon Worthington) and the work they and a lot of other coaches along that line are doing,” says Grant.
"We just have to keep pushing and those young players have to keep pushing. To have them bright-eyed and bushy-tailed every morning, ready to do what's asked of them, is wonderful.
"They know they're going to have a real fight on their hands to be in a matchday squad because of the strength in depth we have but that shouldn't deter them."
Most of all, every display like Wednesday's from the pair should encourage, not deter, Grant to do the right thing for his football club.