HEAD coach Will Croker reckons Bournemouth will have to get creative in order to make the club’s conveyor belt stretch as far as their first team.

The 38-year-old says ambitious players further down the pecking order at Lions may end up being stifled by the “glass ceiling” imposed by national regulations.

Second teams are not permitted to play in leagues above the eighth tier – three below Bournemouth’s senior side – with Croker all too aware of the problems that may cause.

He told the Daily Echo: “Part of our remit is to try to build a base from which we can get a continual flow of players to the first team.

“We need to work with the sides lower down the pyramid to make sure they are as competitive as they can be so when they do make the step up, it isn’t a huge jump.

“There is a big gap between playing second or third-team rugby at Bournemouth and stepping up to the first XV because of the glass ceiling imposed by the rules.

“Ideally, you would have a side playing at least one level higher but our seconds cannot go any further than Dorset & Wilts One.

“That means the gap from National League rugby, which is incredibly intense and physical, is massive and represents one of our biggest challenges in terms of player development.”