WHILE Cherries reap the rewards of the Greatest Escape, Joe Roach is hoping the legacy of some of its veterans will help inspire his up and coming recruits.

Had it not been for the exploits of Eddie Howe’s class of 2009, Cherries supporters would still be dreaming of one day seeing their heroes in the Premier League.

For Academy manager Roach and his team of staff, promotion to the top flight has presented its own set of challenges, some of which they are keen to achieve by turning back the clock.

In pursuit of unearthing the next Danny Ings or Sam Vokes, Roach has been using the example of Mark Molesley, Anton Robinson, Marvin Bartley and Liam Feeney.

Roach, who saw Ings and Vokes progress to the Cherries first team during his first spell at the club, has been steadily rebuilding the youth set-up since being brought back by Howe in January 2014.

He told the Daily Echo: “We have had to change the environment to become more competitive. We are very fortunate to live in a lovely part of the country but there are drawbacks to that.

“The town is fantastic, the seaside is inviting and the area is great. All of that takes away a bit of the edge and some of the youngsters here aren’t as streetwise as perhaps in other parts of the country.

“We have had to get it into our players that there are no silver spoons here and it isn’t a holiday camp. Things had been allowed to get a little too neat and nice.

“Those players who came in from non-league in the Greatest Escape season were a catalyst. They were hungry and eager to work hard because they didn’t want to go back to that environment.

“Their enthusiasm rubbed off on the other players and the seeds were planted. The situation called for the toughest specimens and those lads helped create a strong bond.

“I have spoken to other players about that season and they have all said the commitment and work-rate of the lads who had come from non-league had a knock-on effect. It wasn’t one in isolation, it was four of them and we need to do the same.”

Had it not been for Cherries’ meteoric rise through the leagues, several members of the Academy would probably have already earned their spurs in the first team.

Graduates Baily Cargill and Matt Butcher have both featured in the League Cup, while Sam Surridge, Callum Buckley, Jack Simpson and Jordan Holmes have all travelled with Howe’s squad at some stage this season. A number of others have gained valuable experience during loan spells.

The current infrastructure is far removed from when Roach first arrived on the scene in 2001: “I had four jobs!

“I was in charge of youth development, recruitment and education and was also community officer. We had a couple of office staff, a team of part-time coaches and worked at three different sites. It is unrecognisable now from those days.”

The youth department now has its own training ground at Canford Arena and is housed at the Oak Academy.

Roach added: “I am greedy but everything I have asked for, I have been given. The department has grown considerably with the financial backing from the club.

“We are the only category three club in the Premier League and are working towards trying to become category two. With that comes further investment and there are very specific things we need to have in place before we can go to that stage.

“We need a more competitive games programme because the players need to be stretched more. From under-nines to under-18s, we want the players to be challenged in every game.

“If you are going to play at the top end of any sport, you need to be competing at the highest level and against the best players. Everything is relative and I believe we are heading in the right direction.”