Coach Ryan Esson revealed tips from the very top are putting Caley Thistle’s next group of young talents on course for success at the Championship club.
Inverness’ under-18s were a whisker away from winning their Club Academy Scotland (CAS) Performance League last month, missing out to St Johnstone – who pipped them to the title by just three points.
The young Caley Jags competed in a division featuring Ayr United, Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic, Morton, Partick Thistle, Ross County, and the Perth Saints.
Taking the title race all the way, the ICT lads also had the best goal difference (+25) and had the joint-lowest goals conceded (40) alongside Killie.
👏 Well done to our Under 18s team, Coach Ryan Esson and his staff Don Johnstone & Becky Musset, as they finished their CAS Performance Under 18s league season in 2nd place.
They also finished with the best goal difference & joint least goals conceded in their league.
👏🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/8M1tnvubhx
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) May 27, 2023
It continues the high success rate at U18s level for Caley Thistle.
Last year Esson, whose contract runs out this Saturday as things stand, guided the starlets to the SFA Youth Cup semis, where they were edged out by Hearts despite an impressive display at Tynecastle.
So highly rated are the Highlanders’ young crop, first-team boss Billy Dodds – with injuries biting deep into the Inverness senior squad – pitched many of the 18s into action for an SPFL Trust Trophy tie at eventual competition winners Hamilton in December.
Former Caley Jags goalkeeper Esson, who is also a first-team squad and keeper coach, revealed one of the methods he uses to get his eager U18s group ready for success is to detail to them how 106-capped ex-England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard thought about the game during his own illustrious playing career.He said: “The players have bought into what I have tried to do.
“For example, I will show them numbers of top players who have played at the highest levels, even going back to Frank Lampard’s career. Little things that he done.
“Duncan Shearer (former Scotland and Aberdeen forward and ex-ICT assistant manager) said he was a one-in-three striker.
“If he’d get three chances, he’d have to take one of them and Frank Lampard was very similar. He said he’d aim for two shots per half on target.
“So, we look in detail at these factors and the players really have responded. If they don’t buy into it, forget about your team doing well.”
Players pushing for senior chance
There has been a steady stream of Inverness players emerging from the the youth set-up into first-team football and beyond over the past decade, with Scotland star Ryan Christie the stand-out – but not only – example.
Esson thinks this clear route to the senior side is encouragement for the next batch of youngsters to push for their own opportunity, and said: “We’ve had lots of guys come through at this club. When I was playing, you had Nick Ross, Ryan Christie and Graeme Shinnie.
“Then you had the next group, including Dan MacKay, Roddy MacGregor and Cammy Harper, and I’m now hoping there’s a next group.
“We’ve already had Lewis Hyde, Lewis Nicolson, Matthew Strachan and Calum MacKay come through.
“The boys must be pushing – this season, we see Matthew come on for the first-team and make a last-ditch challenge against Raith Rovers. Lewis Nicolson has scored a couple of goals already for the first-team.
“The other boys will see a pathway, an opportunity to go and play. We don’t have a reserve team, so we see them progress for the 18s.
“You set them up for success and it’s on them, The players need to do the work. We tell them how to do it, but they actually do it.”
Youth Cup trophy run was brilliant
Esson explained how proud he is of his young players, and feels with a little luck they could well have sensationally won the Youth Cup last term.
He said: “We should have won the competition – the boys were brilliant.
“Steven Naismith was Hearts’ manager and he gave us no credit, but we had a terrific game and, having watched their final which was won by Rangers, I’m sure we’d have beaten Rangers.
“Donald Park (ex-ICT number two) was Hearts assistant and he said we were the better team that day.”
And the SPFL Trust Trophy tie at Hamilton this season was a further nod towards his side’s quality, as they lost 2-0 against an Accies team with far more senior experience.
Esson added: “I felt we could have taken something from the match, against the team who went on to win the competition.
“No one gave us a chance, but we created some really good opportunities and we could have got a result. It was another big performance to be proud of.”
Education so vital for teenage players
Of course, not all players will emerge from the 18s into the Caley Thistle first team and go on to have life-long careers in football, and Esson wants to ensure all of the youngsters are equipped for whatever lies ahead on – or off – the park.
He added: “I focus a lot on education. I discuss it with players and their parents.
“We say, as a club, if players have exams, take a week off and prepare.
“Ultimately, even if they make it as footballers, I’d still want them to stay in education.
“The likes of myself and (assistant manager) Scott Kellacher, for example, have been lucky, in that we’ve got jobs (in football) after we’ve played – it’s not always like that.
“I always say, go and find something you find enjoy doing and stick at it.
“Opportunities in football are very limited, so we’re huge on having that pathway out of football. It’s so important.”
Highland League can be smart move
Esson continues to keep an eye on the players who haven’t made the grade at Inverness and thinks the Highland League is a wonderful alternative route for those players to remain involved in the game at a good level – and to continue their development.
He said: “I also love to hear positive feedback from the Highland League managers, where some of our boys have moved on to.
“For example, look at Forres Mechanics. We’ve got Shaun Morrison, Ben Barron, Cammy Hoath, and going back a bit, we had other lads like Ethan Cairns doing well there on loan. Ben and Shaun are scoring goals.
“They had all played alongside one another, so they knew what they were doing. The standard in the Highland League is decent.
“Jack Brown went on loan in the Highland League, now he’s at Peterhead (on a permanent deal) where he’s doing well.
“There are opportunities. It might not be where you wanted to go to, but it is still a career in football.”
Younger talent getting their chances
Kellacher, meanwhile, believes the current U18s group are reaping the benefits of Esson’s demanding style as they continue to push to achieve their first-team goals.
He said: “The 18s have been excellent this year. They finished second in the table and were not far off winning it. There were just three points behind winners St Johnstone.
“It came down to fine margins in the last few weeks of the season and it’s credit to Ryan Esson and the boys. He works them hard, he demands so much from them and he’s got high standards.
“That’s what you want, especially at that level when you are trying to push boys into the first-team.
“You see in Scotland and England now – you have boys of 17 and 18 getting into first-teams, and there is no reason why that can’t happen more at Caley Thistle. We’ve had in the past and we’ll have it again in the future.
“Ryan is ideal as he pushes them, to ensure the boys are ready for that next step. They have beaten their fair share of good sides. I can’t praise Ess enough for the job he’s doing.”
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