"Disappointing" - Preston North End academy system slammed as top 3 Championship stat emerges | OneFootball

The Lancashire side have put their faith in older heads of late rather than the stars of tomorrow

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Preston North End have nurtured their fair share of young talent through the ranks at Deepdale over the years, but recently the Lilywhites seem to be lacking in that department.

The Lancashire outfit currently have the second-highest average age of playing squad in the Championship this season, with only Derby County’s 27.6 topping their age of 26.9.

That doesn’t bode well for any player looking to break int the first-team ranks as it stands, with new boss Paul Heckingbottom seemingly favouring tried and tested personnel as it stands, having taken over from Ryan Lowe in August.

But don’t just take our word for it, as we spoke to Football League World’s resident North End fan Darren Watson about the prospects for any player trying to follow the pathway from youth team to first team at the club.

Preston North End academy system scrutinised following lack of young stars making breakthrough

While the likes of current EFL stars Josh Brownhill, Tyrhys Dolan and Ben Davies can all claim to have shaped by their time at Deepdale as a young player (Dolan's only in the youth team after being released aged 18), there are few who have broken through to make a name for themselves in recent seasons.

Whether that is due to the plethora of top clubs in the local area that must hoover up local talent, or a lack of faith in the stars of tomorrow by the North End hierarchy, the chances of earning your stripes seems to be slim as it stands, with Kian Best one of the sole stars to make any sort of first-team impact.

The 19-year-old has gained 13 league appearances since making his debut at the start of last season, but since November 2023 he has not featured much, with a late cameo in the opening game of the season all he has to show for his efforts in the current Championship campaign.

England under-19's international Best is now reportedly considering his options in the final year of his contract, as per the Lancashire Post, having been the subject of an approach from Saudi outfit Al Ettifaq - managed by Steven Gerrard - in September, whilst Fulham were said to be monitoring him in December of last year, as per Alan Nixon on Patreon.

With all of this in mind, fan pundit Watson is far from pleased with the club’s pathway for young stars of late, with few chances to shine for anybody coming up through the ranks.

When asked on the situation, Darren told FLW: “Currently I think that the youth system at our team could be producing better talent.

“To be honest, I am not seeing any of the youth players push onto the subs bench regularly or the first-team on match day, and it is a bit disappointing.

“We have got a few players that have got quite good names, obviously the Mawene brothers [Noah and Theo], and also Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile, and they are all good players.

“But I just don’t know why we are not putting them into the first-team, and making them play first-team football.

“Do they need more time? Do they see something behind the scenes that the fans aren’t seeing? But it is a bit disappointing that we haven’t seen any youth push through and play in the first-team in a while.

“Hopefully that will change, and hopefully the people we have currently got at the club at youth level can come through and break into the first-team, but it is a bit disappointing if you ask me.”

Preston North End academy status could be hampering development

While a number of players currently aren’t thought to be fit to play for the Preston North End first-team, the Lancashire side have sent a number out on loan this season gain experience elsewhere.

The most high-profile of which is Noah Mawene - the son of former Lilywhites player Youl [pictured] - who is currently on loan at League Two Newport County.

The 19-year-old midfielder had made his mark for the Welsh outfit with seven appearances during the current campaign, but an injury sustained in a recent clash with Chesterfield has hampered his chances of more game time of late.

Having pulled up when chasing a loose ball, the teenager was substituted after just eight minutes at Rodney Parade, and looks set for a spell on the sidelines as he recovers.

Elsewhere, 20-year-old defender Josh Seary has played a handful of games for Irish outfit Larne, while fellow academy stars James Pradic and Finlay Cross-Adair are currently at Bamber Bridge and Prescot Cables respectively.

The likes of Best and Rodriguez-Gentile, as well as Kian Taylor and Kitt Nelson continue to wait in the wings at Deepdale as it stands, although recent history suggests they could be better off looking elsewhere for first-team minutes in the future.

What also could be an issue is the fact that North End only have a Category 3 academy, whereas most Championship teams and above are in at least Category 2 - that means the Lilywhites youngsters are playing against a lower quality of opposition on a weekly basis, and therefore may not be getting the standard of game-time needed.

It will need more investment from club chairman Craig Hemmings and his family to take the academy to the next level, but that does not seem to be coming anytime soon.