Youngsters ready to take chance to impress Moore

Jul 17 2007 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

THE summer’s pre-season friendlies present a period of opportunity for the young professionals at clubs like Tranmere Rovers.

For a few short weeks while the manager mixes and matches his line-ups, they have the chance to show their abilities alongside the first-team regulars and senior professionals.

And just occasionally a youngster makes such an impression during the warm-up games of July that they earn a place in the first-team shake-up when the serious action starts in August.

Two summers ago Steve Davies, then just 17, forced his way into the first-team frame at Tranmere after impressing manager Brian Little with a succession of strong performances as a front runner in pre-season games.

The tall prospect from South Liverpool went on to play 26 league and cup games during the 2005-06 campaign.

A change of manager, with Ronnie Moore replacing Little and a change of position from striker to left-wing, did not check the youngster’s progress.

Davies now has close to 60 first-team games under his belt while his 20th birthday is still six months away.

All of which provides encouragement for Mike Jones, Paul Henry, Michael Johnston and Danny Holmes, the four young professionals who signed new, one-year contracts with Rovers at the start of the summer.

Henry made the most of his chance to play a central midfield role during Tranmere’s opening warm-up game against Cammell Laird last Saturday.

The youngster’s piercing passes helped set up three of Tranmere’s four first-half goals before Moore made a complete change of personnel at half-time. Rovers went on to win 6-0.

Henry, 19, is starting his second year as a professional at Prenton Park but is yet to see any competitive action for the first-team.

He made the substitutes’ bench a couple of times last season without being called into action.

Henry had a harder job than most to break into the first-team frame because the area of greatest strength in Moore’s small squad was central midfield.

The experienced John Mullin, Paul McLaren, Jason McAteer, and Danny Harrison and Steve Jennings were ahead of him.

As a consequence, Henry found himself being tried in a centre back role during a number of reserve games last season – with some success.

Henry said: “It did not happen for me last season in terms of breaking out of the reserves.

“We had a lot of strength in central midfield. Paul McLaren and John Mullin played most of the first-team games and of course they are still here.

“So I was moved to centre-back and played a lot of the season there. It took a little bit of getting used to but I was becoming confident there and I feel I can do a job. Towards the end of last season I was back in central midfield for a couple of games and that’s where I prefer to play.”

Henry added: “I was thrilled to get another year’s contract. It’s a weight off my shoulders. Now I can just concentrate on trying to force my way into the first-team.”

Henry, from Garston in Liverpool, has been with Tranmere since he was eight years old, progressing through the school of excellence and youth ranks.

His uncle, Nick Henry, played three seasons and more than 100 games for Tranmere between 1999 and 2002.

Nick, a fiercely competitive midfielder, took a prominent role in many of the cup giantkilling success Tranmere enjoyed under the management of John Aldridge around the turn of the decade. He will long be remembered for scoring Tranmere’s winner in the FA Cup third-round victory over West Ham at Prenton Park in December 1999.

Nick went on to play for and manage Scarborough and these days shares the running of a pub in the Yorkshire seaside town.

Paul Henry said: “I went to see my uncle Nick this summer. He always gives me advice and the encouragement to work hard and keep going.”

Defender Johnston, also hails from the South Liverpool area, has been with Tranmere since the age of 11.

Having spent most of his developing years as a mobile centre back, Johnston was moved to right-back last season and help the reserves to a fourth place finish in the Pontin’s League.

Johnston said: “I jumped at the chance of another year here. Now I have to make the most of it, work hard and try to break into the first-team.”

Tranmere’s young professionals should have another chance to make a mark this week. Moore plans to rotate all 22 players in tomorrow’s game at Heswall (7pm) and the visit to Marine on Saturday (3pm).