I know James Sanderson still has lots to learn, but out of all the young players from the academy, I think he’s the one who really needs more game time. He always does well in friendly matches, he did last year and again when we played Alfreton Town on Saturday. I thought he was an attacking midfielder, but I’ve seen him play out wide too. If he can do both, that’s really useful for the team. Maybe it’s time we start giving him a chance with the first team.

I’m being serious with this and would love to know what other fans think. I’m not just saying it because I’m young, I really believe he’s got something special.

I have always been impressed with James Sanderson when he has played. I think he does have a lot of promise, and with his age, it's really important for him to get some playing time. I would see how he does in EFL Trophy games, and if he does well. I would consider starting him; it just leaves the question: will Martin Paterson be the first head coach to get the most out of the young players we have, or will he be afraid, like others, to make the decision to actually give them more game time? Last season, Stuart Maynard gave some a chance early on, and then once the season had momentum and we were near the top, they just never had the same opportunity, it seemed.

There's a lot riding on Paterson, but the way he comes across is that of someone who might be able to get more out of players like James Sanderson.

Personally, I think if we could give young players 15-20 minutes in games where we can afford it. I think we would start to see them gradually earning more minutes as they get experience and settle into the squad. I do think Sanderson is one of the better youngsters we have.

I would love to see young players like James Sanderson given a chance to play in the first team. That goes for Riley Reynolds too.

The Notts academy players already know & practise the Notts style of playing every week in training, under 18 & B team matches, so that's another good reason to give them an opportunity in the first team.

If just one young player makes it through to being a first team regular each season it would be a great Philip for the academy & it would attract more of the young talent around the Country or even from abroad.

I think that the EFL could encourage Clubs to put academy players on the substitutes bench for first team games, by increasing the players on the bench from 7 to 9, with a stipulation that two of the players are academy players.

A young player can only break through into the first team if the Head Coach has the confidence & belief to give that player a chance. I do hope that Martin Paterson will have those traits.

He's not in the current list to be taken to Germany; I suppose this could be based on not having a passport or even maybe being loaned out? You could definitely speculate about that a bit! https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2025/july/08/follow--notts-in-germany/

Yes, I think out of all the young players we have. James Sanderson is the one who most stands out and could do with some first-team experience within Notts. I am somewhat disappointed not to see him listed in the squad going to Germany. I thought he did well against Alfreton, and footballers don't reach higher levels without being tried at them first. If he's going out on loan, I would hope it's to a good team, but really I think there's room for him to feature in our team.

He could fit in nicely in the attacking midfield position, perhaps as a backup or rotational player, where he could get minutes as a substitute.

While I would encourage loans, there are times when you feel a player deserves a chance to make an impact, and Sanderson has always impressed me. There's room for improvement, but that comes from experience and game time.

Perhaps early on, Martin Paterson won't be as inclined to give younger players a chance, as he will be learning about the team, but you would hope that with time he would start to try to make the most out of the young, hungry, and upcoming youngsters we have. If Norwich, Spurs, and so on can take our young stars and turn them into professionals, there's zero reason we can't; it's just a failure to get that exposure at the level we are playing at.

If the club aren’t taking him to Germany, I think he’s probably going out on loan. It’s a bit annoying because he’s a home-grown player and could help the team without costing loads of money or needing to pay extra wages.

I reckon James Sanderson is good enough to play with the first team now. He might only play sometimes, but I don’t get why young players sit on the bench and don’t play much.

I really hope the club wants to start giving the young players more chances. They train hard and need a proper go at it.

sam osborne played against notts in the alfreton town game, he did well and looked very lively. caused lucas ness no end of trouble and got the better of him. i wad disappointed when we let him go, because when we played him he showed promise and scored. something that some of the experienced players in the team could not do. when kevin nolan said that he would only play players who where better than what we had i really wondered how he got his break in football. unless you are really, really good you have to gain experience from playing. i think there are a few promising players, james sanderson being one.

riley reynolds looks decent, as does cisse.

 It’s a pretty tough situation for the academy graduates, like James Sanderson, the step up from their B team matches to League 2 football is big and unless you have an academy player who is really special it’s going to take a bit of time before these players can adapt and become proper members of the first-team squad.

Part of me thinks it’s something the board need to put into place, and say we will be looking to play 1 or 2 academy players each season. And by that, I mean trying to involve them in a good number of matches, 20-25 for example, not just appearing on the bench to get the last 5 mins every so often, that won’t help their development.

The issue is it will make the team that bit weaker, definitely in the early stages the academy grads are going to be adjusting to the speed, physicality and step-up in skill-level. It's a tough balance to strike, especially when your goal each season (at least whilst we are in L2) is to be promoted, but ultimately if no players do come through and become part of the team it makes the academy almost pointless.

6 minutes ago, menzinho said:

The issue is it will make the team that bit weaker, definitely in the early stages the academy grads are going to be adjusting to the speed, physicality and step-up in skill-level. It's a tough balance to strike, especially when your goal each season (at least whilst we are in L2) is to be promoted

Mai Traore still hasn’t shown much. He’s not really settled into English football yet. He did alright against Alfreton, but it’s clear he still needs time to catch up.

To me, he’s a bit like James Sanderson. They both have things to learn. But I feel a younger player might be better at getting the ball to the right place and helping the team more.

I'd like to see more of Sanderson and potentially Reynolds. We've not had a player to call our own, rising through the ranks since Hollis (I know McGoldrick is one of our own, but he's not here and wasn't at Notts for a large swathe of his career).

I'm looking the rumour mill and we've got Aljofree (which I feel would be a really good addition) and also Hackford from Sheffield Utd potentially coming in on loan.

Kind of like the Ince era where he brought so many loans in, I fear it might bloat the squad with too many players with potential vying for a spot. Needless to say, this would mean Sanderson and Reynolds get overlooked because of obligations we've made with the likes of Man Utd and Sheffield Utd to be here in the first instance.

Side note, If it matters to anyone (and will likely not), I simulated three seasons on the new FM update and it sees's Jarvis and Sanderson as our best future players. The less said about Paterson's reign, the better...

@piedestrian really nails it with that point.

Fans feel closer to a club that features home-grown talent, and the fact we had this the past two seasons with David McGoldrick does show the importance of giving players a chance. We have special talent that comes and goes. Surely there are others who, given time, could make the grade? I would love to see one or two of our own players given more time and eventually see if they can establish themselves as worthy contenders to start matches.

To expect youngsters to be ready to the level of experienced professionals seems quite a myth.

Some exceptional talents will burst their way into teams, but clubs need to be open-minded to featuring them, and not just for show. Their development will see mistakes, but improvements should come.

Even in the top leagues, some young players aren’t quite on the same level as those around them. The difference is, experienced teammates help them learn and grow. That support gives them time on the pitch, which is what they need to improve.

I believe lots of young professionals have the skill. It’s more about how they apply themselves and deal with the mental side of the game. That’s often the harder part.

Notts deserve credit here. I don’t see many nerves when young players step up. Most seem ready and capable when they’re given the chance.

What’s still needed is a strong, supportive environment. That’s what helps young players develop properly. You can’t judge someone’s level too early in football, time and opportunity are key.

i think most fans want the squad to have players who come through the academy within their first team, i do wonder how many teams these days do this but without pushing and giving them a chance in the squad, its unlikely. its something i feel disappointed about because we just allow the potential to be wasted.

The club has talked about wanting to head in this direction, and it was something the Reedtz brothers pointed out when they took over. Still, we haven’t really pushed forward, even with the excellent work coming from the academy.

When you see someone like James Sanderson close to making the first team, you want him to get that chance and do well. We’re not far off from seeing a young player slowly break into the starting line-up.

Fans do need to be patient though. The manager has to be bold and trust that giving youth a chance will pay off. The club also has to present the player well so supporters can get behind them.

Having someone go from the academy to the pro team shows there’s a proper route. More League Two clubs should be doing the same, not just Notts.

The whole purpose of loaning players out is so that they gain first-team experience. I really hope we can start to bring through academy players before we reach the Championship (if and when that is). In League One, it can work because if you can find a good League Two team to take a youth on loan, it's a good level and starting point. I am not much of a fan of loaning players out to random National League North teams, with the exception of if the team is doing well. I generally question how much better they will be when they return?

It's very hard, but it's why as fans we need to let the club know we are prepared to give youngsters a chance with the right experience. Even if the support players might not be as skilled as those around them, their passion, drive, and eagerness to get better can really bring something unique to the table.

Sanderson missed quite a lot of last season through injury so had a lot of catching up to do, and it also explains why we didn't see him involved last season despite having a contract.

I watch quite a bit of B team and U18 football and the vast majority of them are miles away from playing L2 football. And I mean absolutely miles.

A loan spell can really see a player push on. I was mightily impressed with Daniel Adiefe when I saw him later in the season after he'd ben at Basford for a couple of months.

He was much stronger and much more commanding than he'd previously been.

There are 3 or 4 other academy players who I think have a chance, and training with the first team definitely improves them (Madou Cisse was a much better player for it) but the gap is enormous.