With the youth team’s season coming to a close, midfielder Josh Lawrenson details his first year with Latics, and sets out his goals for his second.
Josh linked up with Latics have previously been with Everton and local side Rochdale, being accepted to the youth team after a successful trial last summer.
“From the age of eight to under 14s I was with Everton, then I left them and went to Rochdale where I spent a few years, until U16s at Christmas.
“I wasn’t offered a scholarship at Rochdale, and then I saw the trials at Oldham which I signed up for.
“I just thought I might as well pop down and give it a go, and see what happens.
“I played the trial game on Boundary Park, and I was invited down again, from there I was offered a place on the youth team.
“I knew Oldham played in a decent league, it’s a decent standard, so I saw it as the ideal opportunity to get myself back in the game.”
U19s manager, Chukwuma Akuneto has spoken honestly about the start the youth team had to the campaign, but after a good vein of form in December, the young Latics are now in a much healthier position.
“The start of the season was difficult, and we knew that, with first years like myself coming in who’d not played at this sort of level before.
“We all just needed time to gel with the second years, and for Chuks’ coaching to set in, and we understood that.
“During the first eight games of the season we weren’t spoiled for choice when it came to player selection,
“Chuks changed the system and we all felt a lot more comfortable.
“We’ve got quite a lot of good defenders and pace up top, so that lent itself well to a counter-attacking style.
“It all came together though, and just before Christmas, we went on a good run which took us up the table.
“It was the culmination of all the work we had done up until that point.
“We’re in a position now where we’re competing in every game we play.
“Even if we don’t win, we still make a good account of ourselves and show that we are equal opponents.
“We want to finish on a high this season.
“If we do that we can reflect on the season, from the start which was difficult to now, where we’re in a much better situation.”
Josh is now looking forward to making the jump from first to second year, with just six games to go of the season.
It’s an important time for any young footballer, as they ponder their options for post-academy football, when they’ll have to make their step up to men’s football.
The time is even more important for someone who’s a midfielder like Josh, in a position where you need to be both reliable and adaptable.
“Coming in as a first year you’re a bit quiet, but as you settle in and move to second year you’re a bit louder and more senior within the group.
“Now I’m looking forward to being a second year, where we’ll have a lot more responsibility, and have to take on more of a leadership role to the new lads who will come in.
“I think midfield is one of the hardest positions on the pitch.
“You need to have good awareness, a good first touch, and have an idea in your head before the ball comes to you, where you want to play it and what you want to do.
“You’ve got to think ahead.”
The youth team are next in action this Saturday at Chapel Road, as they take on Walsall in the EFL Youth Alliance.
Supporters are free to attend, with kick off 11am.
