Dundee’s new head of youth development Gerry Creaney believes teenage star Craig Wighton is a perfect example of the type of player the club are looking to produce on a regular basis.
The 44-year-old former Celtic, Portsmouth and Manchester City striker was appointed to his new role earlier this week and he admits he cannot wait to get started.
As well as overseeing the youth set-up, he has been tasked with helping the club attain the SFA 4-Star Elite youth academy award.
Creaney hopes that once everything is in place, there will be a conveyor belt of young talent available to take the club forward in the future.
He said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for myself. It came out of the blue and I’m delighted to be here at Dundee.
“I’m passionate to give something back to the game but more importantly to give something back to Dundee Football Club.
“The main targets we have set are to help improve the youth development at the club. We want to carry on the good work started by Ray Farningham to get us an Elite status so eventually kids from all over Scotland not just Dundee will want to be part of our youth programme.
“We want to be the best we can be. We’re not going to draw comparisons with any other club. Dundee will be the best they can be and I will try to help achieve that.
“Craig Wighton is a perfect example of what we want to produce in the future. He has bags of potential. The gaffer will work with him obviously and bring him on.
“We’re aiming to produce a consistent level of Craig Wightons. That’s what the kids of this area need to strive for.
“We want to show that there is a pathway to the first-team to give them something to aim for.”
Creaney admitted he was lucky enough to receive some excellent coaching when he was a kid at Celtic.
He said: “I worked under some great coaches when I was 13 or 14 at Celtic, like Bobby Murdoch and Jimmy Johnstone. I was very fortunate that way.
“Davie Provan is another one who comes to mind. I worked under some fantastic coaches at an early age.
“When you have that initial education plus the inner drive which comes from within, then it’s a good start.
“Then you try and go on to take it to the next level.”
Creaney acknowledged that with money tight in Scottish football, developing home-grown youngsters has become more important than ever.
He added: “It’s a challenge for every club because of the lack of financial clout in Scotland, we need to produce our own.
“If they want it bad enough then the opportunities will be there. Gone are the days when clubs are able to splash money about.
“We want to give kids the chance to come to Dundee and progress their careers.”