"What they did gave us a boost; it was quite humbling."

Jack Eades appreciates his current standing; this, his reaction to the Walk for Equality undertaken earlier this year by Jez George and Matt Walker. All things considered, he's content with where he finds himself - in a youth system passionate about progress and in a team seeking to better their recent successes. But there is precious little time to stand still.

Over the next eight months, Jack and his fellow second-year scholars will fight to be noticed and rewarded with a professional contract. You've heard it all before, but the the ultimate aim of the youth set-up is to develop players for first-team contention, and thoughts of realising this goal rarely escape from their crania.

"I don't want to waste any time in working towards the contract - there's always pressure," he says.

This work has been in progress since Jack arrived from Nottingham Forest's academy in the summer of 2008, and 28 league outings followed last season as the midfielder grappled with the demands of an alien division.

"At the start I wasn't too sure what it was all about," he admits, "but I'm more aware of how it sets us up to play. For us the aim is slightly more on performance and not so much on results - it's a lot different to a youth league.

"Youth league players won't have such a good understanding of the demands of playing for points - you've got to be reliable enough to step into that environment. I realised I had to be as strong as men in their 20s and 30s, and I think it's prepared me better for the demands of first-team football."

While some first years, fresh from centres of excellence, take time to adjust, Jack's transition was swift and he was soon challenging for a starting spot in wide midfield. However, he is not a winger in the mould of Jordan Patrick or Robbie Willmott, and it would be unfair to compare him directly to players of that ilk.

He notes: "I see myself as a natural wide midfielder, but I can come inside and be more direct from the left. My biggest threat is movement off the ball."

But it is his delivery that has earned him the most plaudits in recent weeks, particularly in victory over Haverhill last month, a match in which he also found the net with his first strike of the season. That win further established the scholars, playing as CRC, as one of the Ridgeons League's most capable and effective outfits.

Can they surpass last season's second place finish? Jack replies in confident mood: "I think we've got a great chance; coming second gives us the hunger to go on and win it."

We conclude our chat on a note which demonstrates the occasional gulf between the player and the fan. It was recently noted in an online article "When you support a club it is easy to mix up players' will to win... with a loyalty to your club".

Jack, who turned 18 in October, reinforces this point with characteristic honesty, saying, "I will look to move on higher as quickly as I can - the loyalty is to myself, to play as high as I can play."

Difficult though it may sometimes be to accept, this is ambition and it's difficult to argue with. As Jack and his team-mates strive to hit the heights, we can but celebrate that their journeys began or gathered pace here.

Henry Milward

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