Micky Moore reveals biggest 'headache' of being Shrewsbury Town's director of football

Town have produced their own players in recent years. Tom Bloxham, who was sold to Blackpool in the January transfer window, is a good example of that.

Travis Hernes was another. He came from nowhere to make his first senior start under Matt Taylor against Leeds at Elland Road last season before he was sold to Newcastle.

But there are also a lot of players who struggle to make the leap from under-18s football to Town's first-team squad.

And Moore says trying to fix this problem is a head-scratcher.

"It is probably the area of my job that gives me the most headaches," he said.

"When I first came in, the first thing I did was promote Travis Hernes straight away up to the first team squad.

"I had heard a little bit about him before I came in when I was doing my due diligence before taking the role.

"I put him on a long-term contract straight away.

"We do have to produce and develop players, and luckily for him, he played in the Leeds cup game, did really well, and we sold him.

"I needed to find ways to bridge that gap. This season, we have several players out now playing from step five to step three. They are getting loads of experience, but it is a huge headache.

"It is the hardest part. Even at the end of the season now if we do take anyone on, what do we do? How do we do it? What is their path and development plan?

"That is going to be the difficult part."

Shrews have played against certain players this season that have come through their youth system.

Ryan Barnett came through at the Croud Meadow. He is now plying his trade on the wing with Salop's arch-rivals Wrexham.

And just at the weekend, another former Shrewsbury academy product, John McAtee, scored a brace for Bolton at the Meadow.

It is not an exact science, and without having a reserve team, or an under-23s team where they can develop players - Shrews are always going to have to take risks on whether they think players are good enough at a young age.

Players develop at different ages, and unfortunately, that means some slip through the net.

"Last year was a learning year for me to get settled in," Moore continued. "Those of them who will be playing in men's football week in and week out. Even in my first year under Matty Taylor, we had the youth team lads training all the time.

"When we changed head coach, that did not happen as much, but now Gareth Ainsworth has embraced it, and all of them are training every day. They will do so until the end of the season.

"We have to try and find ways. In an ideal world, we would try to get a B team or an under-21 team, but then you are looking at logistics, facilities and games - it is hard.

"It is something which is on the radar in terms of what we would like to do going forward.

"I do know the importance of having local homegrown players.

"But they have to be ready, and they have to be good enough. We have to find ways to bridge that gap."