With the combination of financial restraints and the abundance of prospects coming through the academy, Nigel Pearson has shown little hesitation in handing Bristol City youngsters their first-team opportunities.
City's academy is a conveyor belt of talent that continues to produce exciting young, hungry players hoping to make the step up to the senior squad. To help give them that platform, the youngsters often train regularly with the first-team including 16-year-old Elijah Morrison and 18-year-old Olly Thomas.
You only have to take a glance at the Professional Development League table to confirm the quality of City's Under-21 side. Ali Hines' team sit joint top with Millwall, with a game advantage, and are also in the quarter-finals of the Premier League Cup with a tie against Nottingham Forest on the horizon.
In the FA Cup tie against Manchester City, the Robins had nine academy players in the squad. Five of those were starting and another four were on the substitute bench with two of those earning minutes. Alongside Morrison and Thomas on the sidelines were Omar Taylor-Clarke and Marlee Francois, both of whom were introduced late on.
Pearson has reinforced his message that he only plays the youngsters if he feels they are good enough and the clear pathway to the first team will only provide a source of motivation for others to improve. On top of that, it also gives them an advantage in their recruitment process because the success stories never stop.
We've provided a rundown of the academy players Pearson has handed debuts to, although left out defender Duncan Idehen after he signed for the club in January 2022 as a free agent.
Sam Pearson vs QPR (March, 2021)
The forward made his debut as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat against Queens Park Rangers before going on to make five appearances during the 2020/21 season. He has yet to find his first City goal and looked to continue his development with a loan spell at Yeovil in the first half of this campaign.
In January, the 21-year-old moved to AFC Wimbledon until the end of the season and is still on the hunt for his first strike for the Wombles. Pearson, who moved to City from Cardiff as a teenager, has a contract with the Robins until 2024.
Saikou Janneh vs Sheffield Wednesday (April, 2021)
The tricky forward was introduced in the 56th minute in a 1-1 draw against The Owls and had to be patient for his opportunity. He joined the City academy in 2018 from Clevedon and had two loan spells with Torquay and Newport before making the step up.
Janneh, 23, ended up making six appearances for City in total but couldn't force his way into Pearson's plans before heading to Shrewsbury on loan last season. He secured a permanent deal with League One Cambridge in the summer and moved to AFC Wimbledon on loan in January.
Tommy Conway vs Coventry (April, 2021)
Born in Taunton, Conway has progressed through the academy having joined the club at Under-9. He had loan spells with Yate and Bath City before Pearson saw enough in his game to hand him his chance in a 3-1 defeat against Coventry, coming on for the final 25 minutes of the game.
He then featured in five of the last seven games of the season but it was only this season that can be considered his breakthrough campaign. Conway scored twice in a Carabao Cup victory against Coventry in August and it sparked a goalscoring return of seven goals in eight games to cement his place in Pearson's squad.
Unfortunately, he picked up a hamstring injury on New Year's Day that has continued to rule him out of action but he is closing on a return to full fitness.
Louis Britton vs Brentford (May, 2021)
The striker enjoyed a dream professional debut when he was brought on as a substitute in a defeat against Brentford in May 2021. 15 minutes into his introduction, he struck to score for his boyhood club but it would prove his only goal and appearance in City colours.
A loan spell with Woking would follow before joining Irish side Waterford temporarily. He left in June following the expiration of his contract before moving to Cork City. Britton, who was critical of the way Pearson overlooked him, now plays for his football for Marine AFC who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
Alex Scott vs Blackpool (August, 2021)
Not many would have predicted just how big a talent City had on their hands when Scott was handed a start in a 1-1 draw with Blackpool in the opening game of last season. He ended up featuring 38 times last season, building and then cementing his reputation as a star in the making despite largely featuring as a right wing-back.
His permanent move into the midfield this season has seen Scott continue to flourish and with that has come constant speculation surrounding his future beyond the summer as Premier League clubs continue to swirl. Scott was signed as a 16-year-old from Guernsey and impressed immediately with a perfect hat-trick in 2019.
He has a contract until 2025, with a new one on the table, but there is a growing acceptance that he'll be mixing it in the top flight by the beginning of next season.
Cam Pring vs Reading (August, 2021)
The athletic left-back joined City in 2016 and had to wait five and a half years before making his first-team debut when he was introduced in a victory over Reading at the beginning of last season. He made an instant impact by picking up an assist in City's first victory of the campaign.
It proved a breakthrough season for Pring after making 32 appearances in total while also signing a new contract in January to keep him at the club until the summer of 2024. Having fallen out of favour towards the end of last campaign and the beginning of this one, he has taken his game to new levels side coming back into the side in October.
Pring has started each of the last 16 league matches and has become one of the most consistent performers in the team in the process.
Ayman Benarous vs Barnsley (October, 2021)
Born and bred in Bristol and having joined City as a schoolboy, the exciting attacking midfielder was given the nod by Pearson as a substitute in a 2-1 victory over Barnsley 17 months ago. He went on to make 12 appearances last season before signing a new contract to keep him at the club until 2025.
Unfortunately, his progress has been hampered by a serious ACL injury picked up towards the end of last season before enduring a cruel reoccurrence of the problem around Christmas that will keep him out for the rest of the season.
Dylan Kadji vs Wycombe (August, 2022)
The 19-year-old midfielder came through the youth academy and signed his first professional contract with the club in November 2021. A loan move to Bath City swiftly followed before Pearson handed him his competitive debut against Wycombe in the Carabao Cup towards the beginning of the season.
It was a dream start for Kadji who scored after just seven minutes from a corner. He made his league debut against Birmingham in October and was handed another opportunity against Lincoln City in the cup. In January, he moved to Swindon on loan to earn regular senior minutes.
Joe Low v Middlesbrough (November, 2022)
The central defender starred with the Under-21s this season and City's shortage of options at the back meant Pearson handed him his senior debut in a hard-fought draw with Middlesbrough, after making the matchday squad in the previous two games.
He made his one and only start in the cup defeat against Lincoln, in what was a difficult evening for the 21-year-old, and was replaced at half-time. In January, he completed a loan move to Walsall and has played seven times for the League Two side including scoring his first professional goal against Leyton Orient.
Omar Taylor-Clarke vs Swansea (January, 2023)
Born in Newport, Omar Taylor-Clarke signed for Bristol City at Under-13 level from Cardiff and signed a two-year contract extension in October to keep him at the club until 2025. The 19-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a prominent rise through the youth set-up and was rewarded for a number of strong appearances with a call-up to the senior ranks in January.
He was an unnamed substitute in the victory over Birmingham and then made his debut as an extra-time substitute in the FA Cup victory over Swansea just three days later. He has since made late appearances against West Brom and Manchester City.
Marlee Francois vs West Brom (January, 2023)
The talented attacking prospect made his first appearance for the club in the 3-0 FA Cup victory over West Brom, replacing Alex Scott for the final four minutes of the contest. Francois was then handed another night to remember against Premier League champions Manchester City when he came on for Nahki Wells towards the end.
He usually plays behind the frontman but will be pushed forward as a striker for the U21s after Seb Palmer-Houlden joined Yeovil Town on loan. Francois, born in Australia, was signed by City at the age of 16 having left Fulham's academy. He is highly-regarded at the club and signed a new two-year deal with the option of an extra year last August meaning he is tied down in BS3 to 2025.
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