Town’s Academy Manager on upcoming Under-19s fixture with Larne FC
- Leigh Bromby discusses what type of test the Young Terriers will face on Saturday
- Dom Tear and Isaac Marriott joined Larne FC on loan in January
- Academy Manager on Tear’s loan spell in Northern Ireland
Huddersfield Town Academy Manager Leigh Bromby spoke highly of Larne FC ahead of the Under-19s fixture against the Northern Irish side on Saturday 30 March 2019; 3pm kick-off.
The Young Terriers will travel to County Antrim to face the NIFL Championship side and the game will see Town’s youngsters come up against senior opposition this season once again.
The Under-19s have already faced a number of senior sides this season as part of the bespoke games programme including Harrogate Town, Southport FC and Selby Town.
This weekend’s fixture will be the first game at Inver Park since Larne secured the NIFL Championship title with the side currently 17 points clear after 28 games.
The East Antrim-based side will play in Northern Ireland’s first tier for the 2019/20 campaign and Bromby knows that the upcoming game will be a good test for the Young Terriers.
“I think playing against men is something that’s been really successful for the players this year.
“Giving them that experience allows us to play our style under pressure and against a team that’s more experienced than us.
“I’m looking forward to see the players challenged, hopefully in front of a good crowd at a stadium which will be different to an Academy game.”
Town duo Isaac Marriott and Dom Tear both joined Larne in January 2019 for the remainder of the 2018/19 season with the latter going on to start two games and being named on the bench five times since making the move.
The loan moves were the first experiences away from home for the midfield pair, however, Marriott is yet to feature for Larne after suffering an injury early into his loan spell in Northern Ireland.
Despite the injury sustained by Marriott, Bromby still thinks that the move away from home and being a part of a Championship winning side will have benefited the two players.
“I think it’s huge for them socially moving away from home. It’s something we discussed with the players because it’s easy to be comfortable growing up in the same environment.
“It’s good for them to be in a men’s dressing room and having to play for three points, so it’s been excellent for Dom to experience that and he’s got a few games.
“They’ve won the league and the feedback we’ve had from the players is that they’ve really enjoyed it and that challenge.
“It’s the first time they’ve moved away from home and they’re in a dressing room where the men are trying to win to get a win bonus.
“We’re trying to create all the things that could happen if they got into our First Team but at a more controlled level.”
Town’s Academy Manager also spoke of how happy he was with the relationship the Club was beginning to form with Larne FC.
“Tiernan Lynch, the Manager there, is very proactive and he’s been into the Club already and they play a good style of football.
“They’re investing a lot of money into the Club so it’s great that they want to take our players.”
Town supporters can follow live match updates on the Club Academy’s official Twitter account @htafcacademy.
Town’s Under-19s come into the game off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland. You can watch highlights from the game below on #HTTV!
