Pic: Andy Nunn
NICK ANDERTON thinks learning in Non-League's school of hard knocks with Barrow has set him up to play in the Football League with Blackpool.
The League One Seasiders have splashed an undisclosed fee on the highly-rated left-back, who shone for the Bluebirds last season.
Anderton joined Paul Cox's side last summer following his release from Preston North End.
The 21-year-old defender knew Holker Street well from two previous loan spells – one of which resulted in a broken leg and ruptured ankle ligaments in a Conference North game at Leamington.
But he says the National League has been the best place to really kickstart his career.
Opportunity
“North End were good to me but they said, ‘Listen, you're not going to get much of a shot in the Championship, we want you to go and play games',” Anderton told The NLP.
“I had a couple of options but I always knew with Paul Cox putting a squad together in his first full season at Barrow that I wanted to be a part of that.
“No one ever expected us to do what we did. I know it fizzled out a bit towards the end but we had a brilliant 26-game unbeaten run and did well in the FA Cup. We had this mentality where we knew we were going to do well in games.
“I loved it. There's a lot of good lads who are 19 or 20 years old and at professional clubs, but they don't necessarily get the opportunity to play. Once one or two years goes by they are left with nothing. That's why I wanted to play because that's the best way of learning – especially in the National League.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, it's Non-League'. But people who are around it think of it as a League Three. I played 52 games last season and I missed three through suspension. That's a lot of games.
“There's nothing better than playing week-in, week-out. That's where you get your confidence and enjoy it. Any young lad needs to be playing. That's what managers look at.”
Anderton says he's taking a lot of lessons from his Barrow team-mates.
Experience
“I played in defence with Danny Livesey and Shaun Beeley – they helped me massively,” Anderton said. “They've both played in the Football League.
“It was me, Moussa Diarra – who had come from a lower level – who were raw alongside them. We all worked off each other. Then players like Byron Harrison and Ross Hannah – lads who have played in the Football League and bring experience to training.
“Paul Cox was good with me. He had confidence to let me go out and play. Even Darren Edmondson and Alex Meechan, who were there beforehand and brought me to Barrow initially gave me confidence too.”
And he believes Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer is perfect for the next stage of his development.
Anderton added: “The massive thing for me speaking to him– as well as the things you hear about him and his management team – is that they like developing young players and giving them a chance.”
