CHERRIES Academy manager Joe Roach has turned back the clock in a bid to instil traditional values into the club’s scholars.

Together with working hard on the training pitch, the young players are also given tasks to undertake around Dean Court.

Roach told the Daily Echo: “We have gone back to the old days, if you like. The lads clean the boots of the first-team players, vacuum the offices and classrooms in their area and do various other jobs.

“There is an issue in football nowadays about young players receiving too much money and about having too much attitude about what they are. We have grounded the lads and brought back a sense of perspective.

“Some people might frown on it and think it is archaic but not all these lads are going to have a career in football so we want to ensure they are disciplined and can take responsibility.

“We want them to learn life skills as well as football skills to stand them in good stead for the future.

“We don’t shirk our educational responsibilities because parents want to see their children being educated in football and in life.”

Roach, who returned to the club with youth team boss Carl Fletcher in January, has also formed a committee of players to act as leaders.

He added: “We have created a leadership group because we ask players to take responsibility on the pitch based on the club values. The players picked four players and they have a meeting once a week.

“We have drawn up some statements about what we believe the Academy should be, what opposition teams would say about the way we play and about our behaviour and philosophy.

“There are four statements in each area. It is a psychological thing but it gets players to look at things after training sessions and focus on things they can do better.

“I think it is a very powerful tool and the players have bought into their statements.

“The leadership group monitors the internal dynamics of the whole group. Everybody takes responsibility and they police themselves to a certain extent.

“We have tried to take ourselves forward in terms of creating a more elite environment and I think the dynamics have helped create a strong group of players. The discipline this year has been the best I have known it and some of this has had a large part to play.”