OUR neighbours York City FC have begun their season now and I wish them well.

We at the Knights have had a decent year up to now in the league, and for the city to have two successful professional sporting teams would be excellent.

City have had a few tough years and last season was a disappointing one but, on the face of it, new manager Billy McEwan is doing a good job.

In the world of football, money is king and it's crazy to think that what the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal pay in wages for one player is probably more than what Billy can spend on his entire team in a year.

He is working on a very tight budget and so he's got to back his coaching skills, develop these players and mould them into a team who can compete.

I've noticed the squad he has put together is a young one and, for me, this could prove a wise move for the club.

You've only got to look at Leeds Rhinos in rugby and see how many youngsters have come through their academy system, improved a lot and made the grade at the top level.

Getting quality young players in, educating them, and developing them the right way has proved a major success and very beneficial for the Rhinos. If City can do the same with some of their young players, these lads will do a good job.

I personally like being in control of a young team. You do need one or two old heads with a bit of experience but young players bring so much enthusiasm and energy to both training and games.

I'm not suggesting older players are not enthusiastic because you need that enthusiasm in bucket-loads to stay ahead in the game, but the youngsters have this need to come through, learn, prove themselves and win things and this can only have have a positive effect on a club.

It is also very rewarding as a coach and as a club to bring these players through.

When we at Leeds' Academy first took in the likes of Rob Burrow, Danny McGuire and Mark Calderwood, we saw skinny 15 or 16-year-old kids with talent, and now, a few years later, they are grown men, 19, 20, 21 years old, competing at the highest level in this country and topping the table.

For a lot of clubs, instant results mean everything and some can't wait to bring kids on, but if you take a step backwards and develop young players, they will pay their way in the future.

I therefore think it's a great move by City, in the position they're in, to turn to young players.

Yes, these players need to do a job right now, but they also need to be given time. If they are the right calibre of player with the right attitude, they will improve and they and the team will be all the better for it.

When I first took on the Rhinos' Academy, there were teenagers like Garreth Carvell (now at Hull) and Kevin Sinfield. For the first four or five games at Under-21 level, we got bashed about. But they acclimatised and toughened and we finished that season second on points-difference to Wigan, which was a fair effort given the standard of the teams around us.

It's the same with Peter Fox now, for example. He was playing Under-21s with Leeds last year and coming to York has been a big learning curve for him, playing against grown men in a tougher league. But he's more challenged by it and you can see the results. He's had a great season, developing his own game and scoring lots of tries for the team.

With a bit of luck, he'll keep scoring, we'll keep winning and City, too, will have a successful year.

Updated: 11:45 Wednesday, August 17, 2005