BURY’S commitment to promoting young players through the ranks had a big part to play in convincing 17-year-old goalkeeper Jack Ruddy to choose the League Two outfit over Liverpool when signing scholarship forms in the summer.

And after becoming one of five members of the club’s U18s side to agree a first professional contract this week, the teenager believes fans can expect more of the same in the future.

Ruddy was one of two first-year scholars to be snapped up early, alongside 16-year-old centre-back Matty Foulds, while striker Anthony Dudley, right-back Marcus Poscha and midfielder Sam Burgess, all 17, also signed deals.

“When people look at Bury they might just see a decent League Two outfit, but the set-up that has been put in place behind the scenes is really impressive,” said Ruddy, who is Scotland’s current number one at U17s level.

“We have got some really good players coming through the system and are getting good results at every level.

“Our U18s side are contenders for the league title and the U16s recently won their league.

“I have also spent a bit of time watching the academy sides and they are all playing at a really high standard.

“So hopefully the fans will be able to see more of us coming through into the first team in the near future.”

Ruddy has already enjoyed a taste of first-team action after being picked for the bench six times in recent weeks.

He and a number of his U18s team-mates have also taken part in training sessions with the senior squad.

The former Rangers academy player believes that experience has helped accelerate his development since deciding to move to England from Spain, where he was living with his family.

“The youth set-up they have here convinced me to choose Bury when I was looking for a club over the summer,” he added.

“Earning a professional contract was always my goal, but I don’t think I would have been able to achieve that quite so quickly if it wasn’t for the coaching I have received here.

“Training with the first-team squad has really moved me along.

“It’s obviously a big learning curve because the senior players are stronger, quicker and think and react faster on the pitch.

“But the coaches and first-team keepers like Rob (Lainton), Nick (Pope) and Shwan (Jalal) have given me loads of help.

“And I think the fact the manager (David Flitcroft) and his coaching staff take such an interest in the youth team players has a big impact.

“I don’t think you would find that at many other clubs.”

While Ruddy and his fellow youth-team graduates will officially join the first-team set-up in the summer, the young keeper is eager to help the U18s secure the Football League Youth Alliance North West title before he moves on.

They are currently second in the table and recently made it to the third round of the FA Youth Cup, when Ruddy was named man of the match in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

“I think we have the best players of any team in the league, so hopefully we can win it,” Ruddy added.

“The way we performed at Old Trafford gave us all a lot of confidence and hopefully that experience of playing on such a big stage will help us when we make the step up to senior football.”

The U18s entertain mid-table Wrexham today, although Ruddy is likely to be on first-team duty again with number two stopper Lainton out injured and Jalal leaving the club this week.

Meanwhile, Bury's U16s have made it through to the national final after beating Hull 3-2 in a play-off for the northern championship last weekend.