Mark Carruthers: Why attitude, not ability, makes or breaks young players in Non-League

It always feels like a major step when a Premier League or EFL youngster is handed their first opportunity in senior football with a loan move into the Non-League game.

It can be sink or swim as they face competitive action for the first time after coming up through the ranks in the somewhat sanitised world of academy football, where pitches are pristine and every need is catered for.

Failing to make a serious impact at the Non-League level can even prove do or die for their careers, as questions will understandably be raised about their ability to forge a future in the professional game.

I have witnessed a lot of academy football throughout the years and, obviously, I have also spent time covering a lot of Non-League games across the North East and beyond over the last 13 years or so.

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Attitude

During that time, I have watched on as several Premier League and EFL talents have been sent out on loan to Non-League clubs across the North East, and there is one common factor that has dictated the success or failure of each and every single one of them.

It is not the talent. Any budding star at such a high level must possess talent if they wish to succeed in the top four tiers of our game.

Whether it be an ability to pick a pass, provide a steady presence in defence, be in the right place at the right time as a forward or be a reliable goalkeeper, talent comes in many forms.

That is only half of the battle when it comes to succeeding in football – and that one common factor that can push any loan spell towards the positive end of the scale is attitude.

Naive

Over my time covering the Non-League game, I have witnessed EFL and Premier League youngsters think a loan spell with a Non-League club is beneath them or that they should not lower themselves to such a level.

I recently heard of one EFL youngster rejecting the chance to spend a month with a Northern Premier League club because of that very same reason and even insisted he would ‘get nothing from such a move to that level’.

In some very special cases, such a view may well have a modicum of truth – but for a player that has already been told he will not be offered a chance to extend his time with his club, it seems naive at best and, at worst, arrogant.

Of course, we all know a move will be daunting for any youngster, but it can also provide a short, sharp hit of how it feels in men’s football when literally everything that happens on and off the pitch can define careers.

Embraced

That said, there have been some youngsters who have embraced the Non-League game, some have even fallen in love with it and consider themselves supporters of the clubs that handed them a first chance to experience senior football.

Some have relished the physical, intense nature of the Non-League game and their attitude has enabled them to ring each and every possible positive out of their loan moves.

For some, their attitude has allowed them to use their loan spells as a launchpad for a successful career and they have gone on to even higher heights after returning to their parent club.

Yes, there may well be an abundance of talent – but without the right attitude, loan spells with Non-League clubs and a player’s potential will only ever go to waste.

READ MORE: Mark Carruthers: Why the FA Cup first round weekend sends a shiver through the EFL