We must not underestimate the value of these sorts of stories. I have said in the past that we should always show more patience with younger players, more so home grown youngsters, than other players. The pay off is huge.
Look at Patto and Neil as examples. Perfects examples of how academy graduates can progress at our club. Putting our faith in Neil, rather than buying a 26 year old who may be more experienced and make fewer mistakes, will mean the likes ot Chris Rigg are more likely to stay. Neil binned off for a few mistakes in favour of a more seasoned pro will have Rigg thinking less of us. The fact we have coaches who trust the young lads to learn quickly and grow, and an owner who doesnt demand wins at all costs, means we can look forward to many more Dan Neil's, so long as we accept they learn on the job with us.
We had the chance to use Henderson and Pickford as the poster boys, but seemed to never promote from within after them. We musnt make that mistake again. We need to see the likes of Zac Johnson and Rigg coming through next season, rather than buying in their positions.