Downfield boss Lewis Toshney believes their youth development link up with Dundee West is a huge step forward for the ambitious junior club.
Former Dundee and Dundee United defender Toshney’s Spiders have established a partnership with community club West – looking to feed young players into their first team.
As part of his Uefa A licence, the 29-year-old has been delivering two training sessions a week to a variety of age groups at West’s Charlotte Street pitches.
The former Celtic and Scotland U/21 man has also been casting an eye over the talent on show and has already brought a few in to train with Downfield.
Having been afforded similar opportunities as a young kid making his way in the game 10 years ago, Toshney is keen to foster a pathway for talent in danger of slipping the net.
‘It starts here at Dundee West’
“I watched the Dundee West U/19s training, looking for guys who are good enough to come into Downfield,” he said.
“I’ve got three of them training just now and a 16-year-old from when I went and watched the U/17s playing.
“It’s four players coming in and training with us as much as they can – Kyler van der Toorn, Zak Benmalek, Aiden Hutton and David Boylan, the goalie.
“I started wee Aiden in a Downfield game the other night at left back. If you’re good enough you play, age doesn’t matter.
“They’re playing junior level against men so it’s new to them as well but that is the purpose of the partnership.
“That’s one thing I took from Kenny Shiels when I worked with him at Kilmarnock – if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
“He did that with me. I was 19 years old playing first team at Kilmarnock.
“That’s what I take out of this – if you show the right attitude to want to work and learn then you’ll play.
“That’s why I’ve got the four of them in at Downfield.
“It starts here at Dundee West. I’m working with the 2008s – 12 year olds – and I’ll watch them growing up if I’m here as much as I want to be.
“If they progress then I can get them in early.”
Murray a prime example to ‘rejected’ kids
Toshney doesn’t have to look far for an example of how junior football can benefit a young player’s career.
Simon Murray, who’ll be assisting his former United team-mate at Downfield, cut his teeth in the junior ranks with the Spiders, Tayport and Dundee Violet before sealing a move to Arbroath.
Toshney is hopeful Murray can act as an inspiration for youngsters let go by the two big city clubs as he laid out plans for Downfield to join the senior ranks.
“That’s what I’m trying to use to get players to sign,” he continued.
“Si’s been there starting out late at 20-21 in the juniors with Tayport, did brilliant and went to Arbroath and so on.
“He’s done brilliant and I’m trying to show players that coming to Downfield is a chance for them.
“The way I look at it, we win the league and play the teams in Aberdeen to get in the Highland League and you win that and you’re in League Two. It could only be a few seasons away.
“I’m really trying to make the boys believe that they can go and make history with Downfield by getting into the league.
“It would be incredible, of course, but realistically you’ve maybe got to set your ambitions a wee bit lower than what I think we can go and do!
“Teams are throwing money at it and that’s the way they go about it but I’m not looking at it like that.
“I’m looking at bringing in guys from Dundee who’ve been through it, played junior and are maybe trying to build up.
“I’m working with a young guy just now, Fergus Robertson, released by Dundee United and didn’t know where to go and I said: ‘Listen, come in here and I’ll coach you’.
“He’s 17 years old and he’s going to be my No 1. You see him in training making world-class saves.
“Dundee United released him, said he was too small, but he’s going to come in with me and play junior football.
“I think we’ll end up moving him on. That’s the sort of stuff you want to do.”
McCabe: Downfield a fantastic partner for Dundee West
From West’s point of view, club development officer Tam McCabe is pleased to add a junior club to the top of their pathway.
He’s been impressed with what he’s seen of Toshney on the training pitch and hopes their partnership can bear fruit very soon for the benefit of his young stars.
“Year on year we’re churning through hundreds of players because of the reputation of Dundee West in the community,” McCabe added.
“That’s fantastic, we’re always going to bring players in, but an area we sometimes find difficult is when they get to teenage years and start thinking about what’s next.
“There’s still football and a love for the game but other things come into play.
“There’s girlfriends, boyfriends, working, high school and exams, so we’re trying to offer them an incentive to keep playing and going to Dundee West.
“Now we’ve got this relationship with Downfield, it means kids have got an opportunity to continue playing the game locally and at a good level.
“Having some like Lewis in here with a lot of experience in the game, playing and coaching at a good level, people want to be part of that.
“When your aspirations are to try to get to League Two or League One and push on, it’s going to motivate people to be a part of Dundee West.
“We’ve now got a club there at the top of our pathway and there is somewhere for kids to aspire to get to. It’s fantastic.
“We can go to parents now and show them the journey their child potentially has.”
