BURY’S title-winning youth players can forget a summer break - they are already back in training at Carrington as they bid to replicate the success of last season.

Ryan Kidd’s Under-18s side held firm during a dramatic run-in to win the Football League North West Youth Alliance, a feat that led to six members of the squad being offered professional contracts.

Captain Marcus Poscha, goalscoring midfielder Scott Burgess and strike pair Anthony Dudley and Brayden Shaw will now have to prove they have what it takes to make it in the first team, while first-year scholars centre-back Matty Foulds and goalkeeper Jack Ruddy, did enough to be awarded with deals ahead of schedule.

But no soon as the graduating second years moved on following the end of last season, Kidd was busy whipping the next crop into shape.

“The future looks bright again,” said the Bolton-based coach, who enjoyed a fantastic first season with Bury after moving from Championship side Blackpool last summer to take up the post of head of youth.

“We are backing talent, I think that is going to be the pathway.

“We have got a good group of players and I think the chairman and manager will try to back that as much as they can.

“To a certain extent, money should not be the problem – if the players are good enough they will back it, 100 per cent.”

It is hoped the six young players who are set to step up to the first-team set-up full-time next season will act as a carrot to other youngsters coming through.

That is the hope of Bury manager David Flitcroft, who has worked closely with Kidd and his academy team since putting a new structure in place last year.

The Shakers boss has even taken on the coaching of the U13s and will continue with that group as they progress.

“The biggest thing we are looking for at the moment are players that can fit into the way we play football,” said Kidd, after running the rule over a host of triallists over the summer.

“That’s the same if you are a centre-half, a full-back, a midfielder or an attacker, you have to be technically strong.

“We have been very selective what we have taken in terms of lads playing in a system that we want them to play and whether they can adjust to that system so they can hopefully bounce through into the first team.

“The idea is that everybody from the first team down to the academy are on the same page, so our lads can hopefully step up to fulfil the roles and responsibility we ask of them in the first team because they are already doing that every week in the youth team.”

That policy seems to have had an immediate impact, in terms of results on the pitch and academy recruits making it through the system.

Whether they go on to become first-team regulars will be the next, telling step, but Kidd believes the club’s stance is already helping in terms of youth recruitment.

He added: “We have been very selective because we have got such an outstanding group - we won’t take average.

“We are starting to get one or two very exciting kids coming in last minute that other clubs have decided they are going to let go.

“We’ve still got a couple of spots available, but I won’t take players if they are not right.

“We will wait and bide our time a little bit, but we are pleased at the moment with how we are doing.”