In recent years of financial difficulty it had been out of necessity. Now, with the Terriers bankrolled by local lad done good Dean Hoyle, it appears to be a firm policy.

"The criteria I set out for signings is this - I want young and hungry players who want to get better and have the desire to play at a higher level," said manager Lee Clark, who has been in charge since last December.

Town have now had Academy status for 10 years and although League One rivals such as Leeds, Norwich and MK Dons have them too, the Terriers' is particularly successful.

Tom Clarke, Smithies and Collins have been at the club since they were nine. All are from the Huddersfield area and I think it is both admirable and refreshing that in an age when football is a global game Town have retained a culture of producing local lads.

I canvassed Huddersfield supporters on the 606 boards recently about their club and one theme that emerged more than just about any other was the pride they felt in the club's Academy. I think it has something to do with identity and the excitement of seeing a local lad play for your team.

A lot of the credit for its success is given to Gerry Murphy. As well as three spells as caretaker manager of the first team, the Irishman was in charge of the youth set up at the club for almost 20 years before retiring in February.

Huddersfield's young players need to work on their goal celebrations

Graham Mitchell is now the Academy Manager. A local lad who lives in Baildon, he had a long playing career with the club and has been on the coaching staff since 2002.

"I wish I had a magic formula but one of the biggest things for me is the quality of opposition we play against," said Mitchell when I asked him about Academy success.

"Most of our opposition teams are from clubs in the Premier League or the Championship and that is a big factor in bringing on our boys."

Between 15 and 18 - the years Mitchell terms the "nitty gritty" - there is an emphasis placed on the importance of learning how to win games.

"They need to learn that because if they become professional they will go into an environment where the bottom line is all about winning," he said.

But ultimately a lot of the success of Town's Academy comes down to the strength of their recruitment. The logic is simple - the more talented the youngster, the better quality of player they can ultimately produce.

"We can always improve boys but they have always got to have that little bit of something," said Mitchell.

"We have scouts all over the place and we work extremely hard to try to get the best players in at the start."

Recruitment - it is a crucial factor in the success of any club and is as relevant to Clark as it is to Mitchell.

"It is a major aspect of being a manager," said Clark. "You have to get more signings right than wrong or you could be looking at falling on your sword."

The curmudgeonly Stan Ternent, Clark's predecessor as manager, signed several experienced players nearing the end of their careers such as David Unsworth and Chris Lucketti.

In contrast, Clark has signed almost exclusively young players, his oldest recruit being 27-year-old defender Peter Clarke.

He does not care where they come from - Danny Drinkwater is on loan from Manchester United while Lee Novak arrived from Gateshead - as long as they have the potential, hunger and desire.

Clark reckons he is looking at players most nights and is constantly discussing with Hoyle or chief executive Nigel Clibbens how his squad can be improved. If he likes a player he will check them out himself several times, compile a dossier on them and dig into all aspects of their life.

Clark, a talented midfielder who came through the ranks at Newcastle, his hometown club, is undoubtedly fortunate to be at such a financially secure club so early in his managerial career.

Town ended the summer with a reputation as League One's big spenders after recruiting the likes of Peter Clarke, Lee Peltier, Antony Kay, Robbie Simpson, Theo Robinson and Jordan Rhodes, while Anthony Pilkington was signed for £500,000 in January.

But having money to spend is one thing, doing so wisely another entirely.

The fact that Town are currently third in a very tough-looking League One suggests he has bought well. Town have conceded just twice in their last five games while scoring 19 in the process.

Rhodes, 19, has nine League One goals so far and is a particularly interesting example of Clark's buying policy. The Town manager first became aware of him two years ago when Rhodes, then 17, was at Ipswich and Clark was reserve team boss at Norwich.

Rhodes is one of the players attracting interest from other clubs

Rhodes was gaining a big reputation and impressed playing against Norwich's reserves. Clark monitored his progress and noticed that his goals-to-game ratio remained at roughly one in two during several loan spells. Roy Keane replaced Jim Magilton as Ipswich manager towards the end of last season and Clark decided to test the water.

"I was really just trying my luck in the summer but we were never turned away or our advances rejected - we just had to come to an agreement over figures," said the manager.

Many Ipswich fans were dismayed by Rhodes' departure. Was Clark surprised to get him? "I was pleasantly surprised," is all he will say.

The potential of Town's squad has not gone unnoticed and more scouts have been at their games this season than attend a jamboree - something that 37-year-old Clark is fully aware of.

"We don't have to sell any player," said Clark, whose sentences are sparse and economical, with few words wasted. After a long pause, he continued: "For any price."

It is a luxury beyond most managers in the lower divisions - and the strength of his resolve could be severely tested in January.

Whether the squad can last the distance this season remains to be seen. Clark is confident that the fitness work done by performance coach Steve Black, who has mentored Jonny Wilkinson throughout his career, will ensure his team do not run out of steam.

Clark is fiercely ambitious and is constructing a squad to match.

Yet if Town do start to move through the leagues it will surely make it harder for the Academy to produce first-team players.

Mitchell reckons: "One of our major pulling points is the success rate we have had in getting boys into the first team. That is a big attraction to parents."

Will they still want to sign for Town if those opportunities become increasingly scarce?

Clark himself is adamant that Huddersfield's Academy must remain a central part of the club.

"Manchester United still produces its own players and it is vitally important," he said.

"My ultimate goal and vision is for the first team and the Academy to be located on the same site so that my staff and I get to know the younger lads on a personal basis."

Perhaps the last word should go to Mitchell.

"The standards that we set will have to be higher but Huddersfield has always been my club and I hope we see a lot more boys from the area pull on the blue and white in the future," he said.

He had just three outfield substitutes on the bench for last weekend's draw at Bradford but the Cherries boss chose to focus on the fringe benefits rather than his debilitating lack of options.

"There were only 15 players on the coach travelling to the match so we had a lot of room to stretch out," Howe told me.

In conversation he comes across as composed, considered, mature and ever so slightly wary when discussing his team's promotion prospects. In other words, it really is staggering that Howe is just 31 - by some distance the youngest manager in the Football League.

His team are second in League Two, with only goal difference denying them the top spot they have occupied for much of this season.

It is a tremendous achievement when you consider that Bournemouth have a squad of just 19 senior professionals that cannot be easily supplemented by loan signings. In February the club's horrific financial problems resulted in the Football League imposing a transfer embargo that remains in place.

Anthony Edgar is the only player to arrive since then - and his one-month loan from West Ham was sanctioned only after it became apparent that injury problems at the club could seriously undermine their ability to put out a team.

"It has been a problem," acknowledges Howe when discussing the size of his squad.

"Eventually we will have to give some players a rest. We have had players who have picked up niggles but had to play through them.

"The attitude of the players has been first-class - no-one has hesitated to do things that we would not normally ask them to."

Time and again Howe manoeuvres our conversation away from what he has achieved by praising his players.

Howe will acknowledge that his team are "playing football that is easy on the eye" but shrewdly plays down a start to the campaign that saw his team win nine of their opening 10 League Two fixtures. He repeatedly stresses how long there is left in the current season and uses the words "so far" to underline that he is far from satisfied with what has been achieved.

He has been scouting players along with assistant Jason Tindall but there is no immediate sign that the embargo is about to be lifted.

"The frustrating thing is that a lot of players we like will end up going to other clubs," added Howe. "We have a couple of targets in mind but things can change."

Howe's half-brother Steve Lovell, once of Aberdeen, trained with the club during the summer and was prepared to sign as an amateur but the embargo prevented him from doing so. Tindall, twice retired, has been forced into action this season.

Promising youngster Jayden Stockley made two substitute appearances for the club in October but school issues complicate his availability.

"Jayden has his GCSEs coming up and we have to be aware that his schoolwork takes priority," said Howe. I do not imagine many Football League managers experience this type of problem.

Howe's caution is understandable. There are only so many sticking plasters with which to paper over the cracks.

But whatever happens, his first year in management has been sensational.

He took over after Jimmy Quinn was sacked on the final day of last year.

Brought up in nearby Verwood, and a former Cherries player before injury cut short his career, Howe had been in charge of the reserve team for the previous two years. In this regard he had already made the transition from team-mate to coach.

"I was a player when Sean O'Driscoll was in charge and I knew how hard he worked, I knew the job was his life. It has to be if you want to make a success of it," he said.

Financial problems ultimately resulted in Bournemouth starting the 2008-09 season on minus 17 points and when Howe became the Cherries' third manager of that troubled campaign his team were still 10 adrift of safety. To many on the outside his appointment reeked of desperation and, perhaps, a club resigned to the inevitable.

Then-chief executive Alastair Saverimutto even felt the need in January to publicly insist that Howe's appointment was not a money-saving exercise.

Yet Howe pulled off what Bournemouth fans describe as a miracle, keeping their team up by five points.

Ask Howe how he did it and, typically, he will talk about his players, how receptive they were to his ideas and the guts and determination that they showed under intense pressure.

But Howe must take huge credit for ensuring his squad all worked for each other and had the self-belief to prevail. Howe broke the season down into blocks of four games, setting his players targets for each one.

"That can be a problem if you start badly and it becomes an unrealistic target, it can have a demoralising effect," added Howe. "But it really helped us."

Howe reckons he did not have the time to reflect of the challenge of being a manager at such a young age. His focus was almost exclusively on the next game.

At the end of the season he took his wife on holiday and finally had the chance to take stock. What he didn't have was much opportunity to relax.

"Most of the time I was on the phone," said Howe. "You are never away from the job, even in the summer. You are always thinking of things that you have to prepare and plan.

Howe has been impressed with the team spirit at Bournemouth

"But I am thoroughly enjoying it and would not want to do anything else."

Even so, what impact does the labour-intensive job of being a manager in the Football League have on your social life?

"I don't have any mates anymore, all my friends have gone," said Howe before breaking into his easy laugh. "Honestly, you don't have a social life, but in one sense I don't want one because football is the sole focus."

Any spare time is spent with his wife, who Howe describes as "very understanding".

With resources at a premium Howe and Tindall are in charge of all footballing matters at the club, from scouting and assessing the opposition to the conditioning and dietary requirements of the playing staff.

I think a good illustration of Howe's level-headedness came when he said: "I'd imagine that is pretty standard at most League Two clubs. It is great experience for a young man to run a club at this level."

Howe might not have been a League Two manager any more if he had responded to a recent approach from Championship side Peterborough.

"I haven't been here all that long and there is so much I want to do here," he said. "I feel like I have only just started.

"Bournemouth is a club that has run through my life and there is a bond and an emotional attachment. It wasn't very difficult to decide to stay here."

Howe has now been in charge for almost 11 months. I had a look a list on the League Managers Association website of the longest-serving managers in all four divisions. Howe is already up to 51 out of the 92 clubs.

It speaks volumes about the volatility of the profession that Howe, who turns 32 on 29 November, is now in.

Somehow, though, I suspect he will make his way a lot higher up the list.

You can follow me throughout the season at twitter.com/Paul__Fletcher

Unusually, there had been no air-raid warning and Stant, then 19 and a member of 5th Infantry Brigade, was powerless as he watched the grisly and depressing events unfolding 200-300 metres away from him.

"It is difficult to talk about it even now," Stant told me. "Some of the sights that you see live with you forever."

Within months of the Falklands War ending in June 1982 Stant made his Football League debut for Reading.

Publicity shots at the time show the young Bolton-born soldier posing alongside Kerry Dixon. Stant is wearing his fatigues and brandishing a machine gun while Dixon is in his Royals kit.

The Armed Services and football are the two themes that have run through Stant's life, which explains why the 47-year-old is delighted that Help for Heroes is the Football League's official charity for the current season.

Help for Heroes was founded in 2007 and aims to raise funds for members of the Armed Forces injured during the service of their country.

It was chosen after the Football League held a vote on their website with five shortlisted charities. Help for Heroes and Marie Curie came out on top after more than 25,000 fans voted and the former was eventually selected by the Football League board.

You might have seen advertising hoardings for Help for Heroes at grounds you have visited this season or read articles in a matchday programme. Several clubs are running discounted ticket prices for the Armed Forces.

Leyton Orient, for example, have a long association with the services, dating back to World War One, when more than 40 players and staff from the club, then known as Clapton Orient, enlisted in the Footballers' Battalion. The O's have extended their concessionary category to include members of the Armed Forces.

Last season there were truly moving scenes at Wembley as members of the Armed Forces paraded around the stadium before each play-off final. You could feel the genuine feeling of goodwill emanating from the stands.

The Football League also plans to appoint a team of ambassadors to act as spokesmen for the partnership. Stant is the first of these.

"People don't realise what soldiers go through in serving their country - not just the physical side but the psychological aspect," said Stant.

"The scars stay with you forever."

To underline his point, Stant points out that the British forces lost 255 men during the Falklands conflict but more than that number of the men and women who served there have since committed suicide.

Stant, who now works for the Football League as a regional monitor for its youth development programme, has had a remarkable life - and believes that football played a key role in ensuring his successful transition to life after the army.

"I was bought out of the army and that helped me to focus on a different career," he said. "You get people leaving who have nothing to look forward to. I was very, very lucky."

He is a forthright individual, answering questions with an honesty and frankness in his strong Lancashire accent. An easy laugh follows most of his answers, though when discussing some of the things he has seen and done I wonder whether it is in part a defence mechanism.

At one point in our conversation he talked about the Argentine air raids. After saying that they really weren't very nice he laughed, but it was a sad laugh and, I thought, underlined the point he had been making about a soldier being unable to forget what they have witnessed in war.

Stant had joined the army straight after leaving school and, after the Falklands, worked in bomb disposal.

The Bolton-born striker was bought out of the army by Hereford United in 1984 after impressing in the Bulls reserve team. By my reckoning he played for 12 lower division sides - including a short spell as manager of Lincoln City - and remained in professional football until the age of 38, when he moved into the non-leagues.

He won eight promotions, two golden boot awards and played in the Uefa Cup Winners' Cup for Cardiff City at Standard Liege.

Stant wrote a book about his experiences, ' Ooh Ah Stantona', and travelled back to the Falklands in 2007 to make a television documentary about the island and the role it has played in his life.

And he is in no doubt that there are strong parallels to be drawn between the forces and football.

"The Football League youth development programme is trying to develop elite players but it is also trying to develop people," he said.

"Life skills, communication, discipline - all the things that you need to be a good citizen - and these are all attributes that you pick up while serving for your country."

Then there is the sense of camaraderie common to both the barracks and the dressing-room, the high levels of physical fitness, the reliance on team-mates and the recognition that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.

It is the reason why Stant feels Help for Heroes is such an appropriate charity for the Football League.

And with the conflict in Afghanistan still claiming the lives of British soldiers, Stant believes that Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day is a good opportunity for everyone to take stock of the dead, the injured and the legacy of fighting for your country.

"War is a nasty, dirty business," he said. "People who see their mates being killed have to deal with that every day of their lives."

You can follow me throughout the season at twitter.com/Paul__Fletcher

People who question whether Derby boss Nigel Clough is too mild mannered to manage in the Championship would have done well to watch the man springing in and out of the home dugout at Pride Park on Friday evening.

With the scores locked at 1-1 between the Rams and Coventry, the stress and anxiety was clear to see as Clough bemoaned every decision that went against his team and reacted with fury whenever his players needlessly squandered possession.

It was a Clough I have not seen before. Then again, it has been a difficult few months for the 43-year-old. His team went into Friday's match a perilous 20th in the Championship table on the back of eight defeats in their previous 11 games.

I browsed through a few Derby County message boards this week and sensed that opinion had started to turn against Clough.

Several people were suggesting that he was being "found out" in the Championship after a decade of managing Burton Albion at non-league level.

Others argued that his policy of giving an opportunity to young players from the lower divisions, like Dean Moxey, was misguided. It simply would not work in the notoriously unforgiving and competitive Championship.

Clough's team trailed 1-0 at half-time against Coventry and were booed from the field. Rob Hulse then scored twice after the restart to give the Rams a 2-1 win.

Fans pay their money and have every right to protest against poor form, but I cannot help but think that the dissatisfaction of the Derby fans serves to highlight the gulf between expectation and reality.

When you look at Pride Park, you see a stadium that should be hosting Premier League football. Derby have a sizeable fanbase and all but the very youngest supporters are old enough to remember their team playing top-flight football.

But Derby are a team that is some way from challenging for a return to the elite level - a point that Clough has been at pains to make. It is a time for rebuilding - and it is a process that will take time.

Derby has become a watchword for instability while the club have spent most of this decade shedding managers more often than Jedward hit bum notes.

If Clough is to change that, then patience is required. The same fans who looked so emotional when the son of Brian returned to the family's supposed spiritual home must hold their nerve.

I visited Clough in the summer at the club's Moor Farm training facility and was impressed by his plans for the club. When he took over, he inherited almost 40 professionals and was in the process of trimming down the pool of players with the aim of establishing a tight-knit unit.

He explained that he wanted his players to know exactly what to do and when, and he wanted them to understand each other's roles as well as their respective strengths and weaknesses. Clough's goal was to assemble a blend of young, hungry players alongside seasoned pros. He was trying to build a team in the truest sense of the word.

However, injury and illness have meant Clough has had little opportunity to decide upon his best XI. As a consequence, the cohesion he wants is still lacking, which obviously impacts on confidence and self-belief. Instead of mounting a promotion challenge, his team have found themselves scrapping for points at the other end of the table.

"It has been a real struggle over the last few weeks," remarked Clough on Friday with genuine frankness. "We have not had many selection options."

By my rough calculations - and please do correct me if I'm wrong - Clough has fielded six different centre-half pairings, seven in the centre of midfield, and the same number in attack.

Clough observed in his programme notes prior to the Coventry game that he had 16 registered professionals unavailable for the previous match at Ipswich, with Paul Dickov his only fit striker.

"A high quantity of injuries will adversely affect form and our injury situation is worse than anyone else's in the four divisions," said the boss.

But Hulse, Paul Green and Dean Leacock returned to the starting line-up on Friday evening, and Clough is confident more will be available after the international break.

Significantly, Clough pointed out that the match against Coventry was the first since the opening day win against Peterborough that he had been able to field the midfield trio of Robbie Savage, Paul Green and Stephen Pearson.

Robbie Savage celebrates a rare win for Derby

I asked Clough whether he thought his team had turned a corner after picking up three points for the first time since they defeated Sheffield Wednesday on 3 October.

"I hope so," he said. "Only time will tell if we can press on, but if we get our players back we have the makings of a healthy squad."

Coventry are in a similar position to Derby when it comes to injuries. Manager Chris Coleman, like Clough, has reduced the size of his squad but was missing four established defenders, several key midfielders and his first-choice keeper against the Rams, while Leon Best, who scored Coventry's only goal, has just returned from injury.

The former Fulham and Real Sociedad boss believes his squad will be competitive when fully fit and says there wasn't an awful lot to choose between Coventry and Derby.

"It was a big game for both teams, they got the points and we didn't," he said.

Derby, with the always confrontational Savage emblematic of the home team's desire and commitment, probably just about deserved their win after a spirited comeback, but it was hardly a memorable match.

Still, as Clough noted: "The result sent the supporters home happy, which is something that we have not done for a while."

It is still early days for Clough, who is in his first full season in charge after taking over in early January and keeping the club in the division.

But until he has been in a position to select from a more or less fully-fit for a sustained period of time, it would be folly to pass judgement on a man who left behind the homely security of Burton and followed in his father's footsteps by trying to revive Derby.

You can follow me throughout the season at twitter.com/Paul__Fletcher

Nottingham Forest are currently ninth, but just four points behind the Baggies. Even so, Forest boss Billy is passionately, vehemently, absolutely and totally insistent that his team will not figure in the promotion reckoning this season.

After watching their entertaining and. at times, feisty 1-1 draw at the impressive Cardiff City Stadium on a wet and wintry Sunday evening, I reckon that both teams must be regarded as promotion candidates.

The Bluebirds are the division's highest scorers with 31 goals from their 15 games and watching their attacking threat on Sunday it was easy to see why.

Target man Jay Bothroyd can hold-up the ball if Cardiff choose to go direct but also showed a deft touch and decent pace, at one point winning a straight sprint against Kelvin Wilson and drawing a desperate foul from the Forest defender. He also showed excellent composure for his goal, slotting the ball beyond Lee Camp. The one concern here is that if Bothroyd picks up an injury, I'm not sure they have an adequate replacement for him.

Jay Bothroyd's shot is blocked by Forest defender Kelvin Wilson

Strike partner Michael Chopra is the Championship's leading scorer with 11 goals, but there is more to his game than finishing. He was not scared to drop deep to link play and his movement across the Forest backline unsettled the opposition. Furthermore, with full-time approaching and his team clinging on to a 1-0 lead, he dispossessed a Forest player 25 yards from his own goal. It was a moment that stood out for me because it spoke volumes about his work rate and desire.

Cardiff winger Peter Whittingham had scored in six consecutive games prior to Sunday and both he and Chopra forced several excellent saves from Lee Camp. Cardiff's willingness to shoot was symptomatic of the confidence running through the side. Particularly eye-catching was their goal - a six-pass move that started in the left-back area and ended with the ball in the Forest net. The passing and movement was executed with great skill and speed.

The distribution of central midfielder Stephen McPhail, who unfortunately picked up an injury against Forest, has been impressive this season. His presence has led to a slightly deeper role for the highly-rated Joe Ledley. I thought Ledley had a decent game on Sunday and the midfielder saw a shot cleared off the line.

I wonder whether central defensive duo of skipper Mark Hudson and Anthony Gerrard, cousin of Liverpool's Steven, might lack pace - and Forest striker David McGoldrick certainly troubled them in this department.

But right-back Adam Matthews, 17, has really stood out this season. On Sunday Forest winger Paul Anderson caused him real problems in the opening half but the young defender had the better of their engaging contest after the break.

The presence of Ross McCormack and Gavin Rae on the bench on Sunday also suggests Cardiff have a strength in depth they have previously lacked.

"We have got a long way to go in terms of being stronger as a unit," was manager Jones's assessment as he reflected on his team's start to the season.

"We have got a lot of younger players - particularly in defence. They don't let anybody down in terms of commitment but sometimes there is a lack of knowledge.

"But I am reasonably pleased with the attacking division and our defending."

There is a settled feel to the Cardiff side; a continuity from one season to the next. It was a point Forest boss Davies made when he observed that several Cardiff players remained from his last visit, with Derby County in October 2006.

In stark contrast, Davies spent in the region of £5m in the summer rebuilding his squad, a reflection of the difficulty he had in keeping Forest in the Championship last season after taking over as manager on New Year's Eve 2008.

Davies was frustrated with the attitude of some of his talented younger players last season. You only have to look at Forest boss, blazer and V-neck jumper worn smartly over his shirt and club tie, to understand that he does not tolerate tardiness. He lives in an ordered world of professionalism and high standards - and expects the same from his players.

In March Davies publicly criticised midfielder Lewis McGugan over his lack of fitness but the 21-year-old scored a stunning injury-time equaliser at Cardiff and there are signs that the younger players at Forest are benefitting from the arrival of more experienced professionals.

None fall into this category more than skipper Paul McKenna, who arrived from Preston after 12 years at his home-town club. He is the fulcrum of the side, knitting the play together from central midfield. Davies told me that McKenna's value is was in excess of his ability as a player because his good habits are an example to others.

Forest certainly aren't lacking artillery. Robert Earnshaw, Dexter Blackstock and Nathan Tyson are currently injured but Davies could still call upon McGoldrick, Dele Adebola and Radoslaw Majewski on Sunday. It is a pool of attacking players that I imagine any Championship manager would be happy to have at his disposal.

Wes Morgan holds off the challenge of Cardiff striker Michael Chopra

The visiting team's defence was caught out far too easily at times against Cardiff - particularly distressing was an optimistic header up-field from Gerrard that eluded the Forest backline and gave Bothroyd a run at goal. Davies insists he is working hard with his all of his squad on the training ground and five consecutive victories and two draws from Forest's last seven games suggests his methods are working.

"There is a lot of work and progression needed," reckons Davies, who insists he can see the faults and flaws in his squad every day on the training ground.

"In my humble opinion we are not ready for promotion this season. If we can finish in a mid-table position, it would be a first-class position considering where we have come from."

Davies was sacked months after he took Derby back to the top flight in 2007. It is an experience that clearly hurt. You now frequently read of the manager talking in terms of three-year plans and building an infrastructure that will give Forest a chance of surviving in the Premier League.

But he is an extremely competitive man and has a proven track record at this level having reached the play-off final with Preston before going one better at Derby. The crucial element was that he did it quickly - in his first season at each club.

Despite his protestations I certainly wouldn't discount Forest - not that the Championship is short of promotion contenders.

Almost a third of the season has gone (at frightening speed if you ask me) and just seven points separate the top 12 teams.

Some people think the Championship is the most exciting league in England and the congestion at the top end of the table suggests they might have a point.

But besides Cardiff and Forest, who do you think will figure in the promotion reckoning next April?

You can follow me throughout the season at twitter.com/Paul__Fletcher

The Royals had just played Chelsea in a friendly and Pearce had enjoyed a very solid afternoon trying to snaffle the not inconsiderable threat posed by Terry's club team-mates Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

Pearce and Terry come from very different backgrounds. Terry went to Eastbury Comprehensive in Barking and played for the Senrab club side that also counts the likes of Jermain Defoe, Sol Campbell and Ledley King among its former players.

Pearce attended the esteemed Oratory School in Woodcote in Berkshire. Composers, politicians, soldiers and rugby players are among the famous Old Oratorians. Pearce played fly-half for the rugby team and showed early promise but always preferred the round ball.

There are undoubted comparisons to be made between Pearce and Terry beyond the fact that both wear the number 26.

Both have come through the ranks at their club. Pearce seems to have the same drive and natural leadership that Terry obviously possesses in abundance. They are good in the air, solid all-round defensively and competent in possession. Pearce is candid enough to admit that he is far from quick, though the same might be said of Terry.

"John Terry never seems to get caught," added Pearce. "People say he is not the quickest but he is sharp in the mind.

"I actually try to base my game on him. I watch him all the time on TV and study his play."

Pearce was brought to Reading by current boss Brendan Rodgers as a 12-year-old when the Royals manager worked with the club's Academy,

Rodgers eventually left to take up a similar role at Chelsea before a short spell as manager of Watford ended when he returned to Reading. Knowing Terry from his time at Stamford Bridge, Rodgers gave the defender's mobile phone number to Pearce.

"I texted John and he said I could call him any time. He has since texted me a couple of times before games to wish me luck," added the Reading defender.

Rodgers is obviously in a strong position from which to compare the two players, but I wonder whether Rodgers might have been shrewd to keep his observation to himself. Being compared to the England captain is a hard billing for a young player to live up to, although Pearce describes the comparison as a massive compliment.

Certainly, there are plenty of talented young defenders in the Football League - Sean St Ledger (Middlesbrough), Miles Addison (Derby) and Sean Morrison (Swindon) to name but three. I would be very interested to know who you rate - and who you think can go on to play in the Premier League.

I met Pearce last week and several times during my conversation I had to remind myself that he is only 20. He talks with a calm assurance and maturity way beyond his years. I suppose it is a measure of Pearce's even temperament that he seems to be unfazed by the burden that being compared to Terry can bring with it.

Pearce, with loan spells at Northampton, Bournemouth, Norwich and Southampton under his belt, was made vice-captain over the summer but, with Ivar Ingimarsson injured at the start of the campaign, he started the season as skipper.

The script suggested he would form a key part of the bold new era under Rodgers, who has adopted a new system with a heavy emphasis on ball retention.

But not much has gone to plan at the Royals this season.

The season didn't start all that badly with two clean sheets in their opening three Championship fixtures and a 5-1 win over Burton in the Carling Cup.

But Reading have managed just two goals in their seven home Championship fixtures and have conceded 23 goals from their 15 league games. They have problems at both ends of the pitch and have lost their last four games.

The Royals lost again on Monday, 1-0 to Leicester at the Madejski Stadium. They haven't won at home since January and are currently in the bottom three.

Reading, with Pearce returning to the side as skipper in the absence of the suspended Ingimarsson, were unluck against the Foxes but were punished for failing to convert any of the numerous chances they created.

Clearly, something isn't working and the Rodgers era has yet to get off the ground.

Perhaps the new boss has tried to change too much, too soon. Rodgers changed the system when he took over, with Steve Coppell's attacking 4-4-2 giving way to a more fluid 4-3-3 system with a heavy emphasis on retaining possession.

"It takes time for everyone to get used to new systems," said Pearce diplomatically. "There has been a massive change in the club and it does not gel overnight.

"We do a lot of passing in the new formation on the training field, working hard to get used to our positions and what to do in the shape - that is the idea."

Rodgers revealed the pragmatist within him by switching to a 4-4-2 for the recent game at QPR, acknowledging the need for a temporary return to the old system to get some points on the board and rebuild confidence. The Royals lost 4-1, prompting fans to chant the manager would be sacked in the morning, but he stuck with 4-4-2 against the Foxes.

Rodgers has experimented with changing personnel as well as his formation and Pearce found himself rested after the 3-2 defeat at Peterborough in mid-September.

Determined to show his commitment, the 20-year-old surprised everyone by turning up in the dressing at Preston before kick-off after driving up to support the side for their midweek fixture.

Rodgers is under pressure after a poor start to the season

Pearce is one of several players in and around the first-team squad who have come through the Reading Academy. The likes of Hal Robson-Kanu, Jem Karacan and Simon Church have all figured this season and, although it might not look that way at the moment, Pearce is confident that they can form the basis of a successful future for the Royals.

The central defender, who has played for Scotland Under-21s but remains eligible for England Under-21s, is out of contract at the end of the season but is confident a new deal will be sorted out. He told me that he is happy to let his agent sort it out while he focuses on improving Reading's position.

The club's current predicament must be painful for Reading supporters after the golden era under Coppell but Pearce is adamant that morale remains high within the squad.

"The spirit in the camp is brilliant and all the lads get on well," he said.

"Without a doubt there is an undoubted amount of ability in our group of players - it is just getting the right blend with youth and experience and the manager will get that right."

And when I asked Pearce where he saw himself in five years, he exhaled loudly and thought for a moment before smiling and remarking: "Captaining Reading in the Premier League wouldn't be bad - but I think we need to focus on the short-term first."

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They may lie a healthy fifth in the Championship table, have an excellent and highly-coveted manager in Alan Irvine and a well-drilled and committed squad.

But they came a disappointing 19th out of 24 clubs in terms of attendances last season and crowds have slipped worryingly this campaign, with less than 12,000 turning up for their recent home fixture against high-flying West Brom.

It isn't easy for any side in Lancashire to build their fanbase. Preston aren't just competing with Blackpool, Blackburn, Burnley, Bolton and Wigan for supporters, they also exist in the considerable shadows cast by Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton.

Deepdale is a very respectable all-seater stadium with a capacity in excess of 20,000 but the ocean of empty seats every home game is a major part of the reason why North End have to balance the books by selling their most bankable player just about every summer.

Sean St Ledger, Paul McKenna, David Nugent, Ricardo Fuller, David Healy, Eddie Lewis, Jon Macken - make no mistake, North End are a selling club.

Over the last decade central midfielder McKenna, born in nearby Chorley, is the only outfield player to really make the grade at Deepdale. All of the other players listed above were bought in and sold for a profit.

If Preston want to continue to succeed in these recessionary times they need the extremely wealthy Trevor Hemmings, who has a 28% stake in the club, to seriously open his chequebook or start producing their own players.

However, the credit crunch has hit Hemmings hard and, besides, if the lifelong fan was to bankroll a spending spree he would have done so by now.

Unsworth was a popular figure during two spells at Everton

Instead, North End have turned to David Unsworth.

The 35-year-old is best known for his two spells at Everton, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1995, but he started out as a 13-year-old junior at Preston. The defender's career took him to nine clubs before he retired towards the end of last season.

He has recently taken his first coaching role - and I think it is a position of vital importance to Preston's future.

"I am the bridge between the youth and the first team and I am really enjoying it," said Unsworth, who like McKenna hails from nearby Chorley.

In his charge are five first-and-second-year professionals who have outgrown the youth team but are not ready for the step up to the first team.

"These type of lads have previously been a little bit lost in terms of who they train with and have had nobody specifically looking after them; their needs and wants," added Unsworth.

"My role is to give these young pros every opportunity to make the biggest step in football - from the reserve to first-team level."

Manager Irvine himself is in his first managerial role. His previous roles have included stints as Academy director at both Blackburn and Newcastle. It must be frustrating for him that his current club are not producing their own talent, but his experience must also have helped him to identify the weak link in the chain.

But what exactly can Unsworth do to help his charges make the transition?

"Football is a quick, powerful game and some might have the ability but not the strength. We get them in the gym in the afternoon and are working on individual weights and stretching programmes," added Unsworth.

"We are spending hours on the training ground helping the players understand their specific positions, making sure they are tactically aware."

Unsworth has started taping reserve games and training sessions. He is then able to analyse them and work with players on their strengths and weaknesses.

"It is similar to first-team training in terms of thoroughness," he added.

Unsworth currently has two central defenders, a left-back, a central midfielder and a right winger. They have been bombarding Unsworth with questions, soaking up information "like sponges".

Part of the problem is the amount of football available to the young professionals. The main outlet for them is the reserves, with the remaining numbers made up of youth team players and the occasional first teamer. But Preston play in the Central League West - and that is just an 18-game season.

"They need to play matches - at least one a week," said Unsworth.

"There are not as many reserve games as we would like and so the manager wants me to organise more high-profile friendlies so the players can test themselves against the bigger clubs."

Unsworth is still relatively new to his job but believes he has seen enough from his young professionals to believe that they have a chance of making it.

McKenna made more than 400 appearances for North End

He is understandably loath to put a timeframe on when Preston fans can expect to see home-grown players make the breakthrough, nor how often it is likely to happen.

And he is adamant that ultimately a lot depends on the player himself.

"I am trying to give all these lads the tools," said the 35-year-old.

"But they also need to have the drive and desire - and that is something that a coach cannot give to them."

A few players have come close to making the grade at Deepdale in recent years - the likes of Kevin Langmead, Darren Kempson and Alan McCormack - and gone on to enjoy careers at lower divisions clubs.

But since local lad McKenna made his debut for Preston in February 1997 the only player to establish himself in the first team is goalkeeper Andy Lonergan.

McKenna himself went on to skipper the club and made more than 400 appearances for North End before he was bought by Nottingham Forest for £750,000 in the summer.

It might be unrealistic to ask Unsworth to produce another player who gave the club such excellent and successful service but I'm sure that a few more Preston fans might pass through the turnstile if they had the chance to see one of their own wearing the famous white shirt.

Notts County are undoubtedly a club in flux at the moment. Their identity has changed but it is less clear who they now are.

The decision to part company with manager Ian McParland on Monday after 12 games of the League Two season is the latest illustration of a club going through a dramatic and headline-grabbing metamorphosis since their takeover by Munto Finance.

McParland had been in charge for almost two years and presided over more than 100 games in charge.

He was popular with the County fans, who chanted his name during Sunday's match against Torquay, but he belonged to the previous era, when the club laboured at the bottom end of the table.

County's profile has gone through the roof since news of the takeover emerged and they have rarely been out of the headlines.

Mystery has surrounded the identity of the people behind Munto Finance, a private overseas investment trust that took over at the club in June. The Football League still want additional questions answered about the takeover and County are this week expected to supply the required paperwork.

Former England international Sol Campbell arrived in a blaze of publicity and generated even more column inches when he walked out after playing just one game for the club.

But it was the appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson in July that really took the breath away. Was it a spectacular coup by County or a measure of the Swede's fall from grace? Perhaps a bit of both.

It has all served to turn the club into something of a soap opera. Rarely a week goes by without the latest rumours about the identity of the new owners, the international stars the club are set to sign or the imminent dismissal of the manager.

McParland dealt with dignity and defiance to the inevitable avalanche of questions about his future that followed the arrival of Eriksson but there was always the suspicion that he was on borrowed time.

Even so, executive chairman Peter Trembling only last week denied McParland's position was under threat. The likes of David Platt and Iain Dowie had been linked with the club.

The fact that County were booed from the field after Sunday's 2-2 draw with struggling Torquay obviously persuaded the decision-makers that it was time to make a change. But they have sacked a manager when his team are fifth in the table - how do you justify that?

The intriguing question now surrounds whether Eriksson will take over as manager. It would be a remarkable appointment for a club with big ambitions but a lowly status.

Eriksson arrived at Notts County to a blizzard of media interest

One of the talking points surrounding Sunday's match was a story in the News of the World suggesting that Eriksson was considering walking out on the club. Eriksson is apparently also wanted to rescue Sweden's ailing bid to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa.

One journalist who had covered the Magpies for several years told me that you could tell when the Swede was taking his seat at Meadow Lane because all the fans in the surrounding area turned around to stare at him. Perhaps they still cannot quite believe he is at their club.

The Swede was at Sunday's match and denied that he was about to leave the Magpies. Trembling talked of the plans he has been putting in place with Eriksson, one involving a business trip abroad, and added that was hardly the actions of a man about to quit.

The fans chanted the names of Eriksson and Trembling during the match, with the Swede obligingly acknowledging them with a wave of the arm.

But then, the Magpies are used to a bit of turbulence, it's just that it doesn't normally have this much coverage.

Central defender Mike Edwards is the club's longest-serving player, having been at County since May 2004. The year before his arrival Notts had been on the verge of extinction, saved by a donation of £3m from an anonymous local businessman.

The club's on-field battles since then have largely been restricted to the wrong end of the League Two table and Edwards will soon be on his sixth manager.

"I have re-signed contracts twice now and this investment is what I have been waiting for because I have seen the potential here," Edwards told me in the tunnel after Sunday's match.

I can see what he means. Meadow Lane is a decent all-seater stadium with good facilities and an excellent playing surface. It is a base from which the club can grow.

Last season, apparently, you'd be able to park your car in the road right outside the stadium. Not so on Sunday. County gave away several thousand free tickets in an attempt to boost attendance and 8,812 made their way to Meadow Lane despite the unusual 1715 GMT kick-off time on a Sunday evening.

County's average attendance has been on the wrong side of 5,000 for several seasons but they currently average more than 8,000 across their six home League Two fixtures so far.

But whoever takes over will have to improve on Sunday's second-half showing if they want the fans to keep coming back. County were brilliant in the first half, racing into a 2-0 lead and creating enough chances to ensure lowly Torquay could become the third side to concede five goals at Meadow Lane this season.

Campbell might have gone but County have plenty of quality for League Two. Lee Hughes, Ben Davies, Luke Rodgers, Matt Ritchie, Johnnie Jackson, record signing Kasper Schmeichel - these are all players who should be at a higher level and for a while it showed. The County fans sang that it was just like watching Juve.

But Torquay, second bottom in the table and a world away from County in financial terms, pulled a goal back before the break. The Magpies' free-flowing football disappeared in the second half and the Gulls snatched a well-earned equaliser.

The fans dissatisfaction at the final whistle on Sunday tells you how quickly expectations have grown at the club.

It is a point not lost on Edwards.

"We expect to win every game," said the defender. "We now have got the quality to take County forward. You can see how training has really stepped up and speaking personally it is great to be in amongst it."

It was Edwards who lost his place when Campbell made his only appearance for County. It makes me wonder whether he too might eventually end up a victim of County's ambition.

"We are concentrating on what happens on the pitch, I leave all the other stuff alone that is going in the papers," added Edwards, who was on holiday in the Caribbean when he first heard rumours of the takeover.

"I know it is frustrating for the chairman but we are not involved in that side of it and want to be judged by our football."

In those terms County, four points adrift of top spot, aren't doing too bad and it is difficult to not feel sorry for McParland. Ask any manager and they will tell you it takes time to mould together so many new players and create a team from a set of individuals.

County have been very strong at home, slightly brittle away. It really wouldn't be a big surprise if a squad with County's strength won promotion. Nothing less would be seen as a failure.

But I cannot help but wonder if it is wishful thinking to hope that what happens on the pitch will become the big story anytime soon at a club still coming to terms with its new profile.

And by sacking McParland County have ensured that they will stay in the headlines.

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