WHEN it comes to individual players, there is little better for football fans than being able to cheer on a player who has come through the ranks and is starring for his hometown club.

If all works out, Barrow AFC fans could, in the near future, be having three of them to get behind following the club signing three players from the burgeoning under-21 set-up this season.

Holker Old Boys goalkeeper Sam Stephens and Vickerstown striker Tom Dawson became the latest to sign first-team forms last Friday, following Hawcoat Park midfielder Christian Sloan who did the same back in November.

Aged just 16 and fresh from scoring nine goals in as many games for the under-21s, the signing Dawson in particular has created a buzz and, like the other two, he has proven capable of stepping up in adult football with his club in the West Lancashire League Premier Division.

“I’ve played with or been around or worked with top forwards and finishers, and he’s probably the best I’ve seen for his age,” said Vickerstown manager Dave Round, who praised youth boss Mark Hammond for bringing through Dawson and the rest of the team’s talented teenagers.

“He played really well in the reserves and was banging them in for fun, and we had a chat where I said ‘let me know when you want to give it a go’.

“I didn’t want to push him into our first team because it’s quite a physical league and you don’t want to be pushing them too early.

“But he said he’d like to try it, so I put him on the bench and he came on and scored. I gave him another game and got a penalty when he was taken down in the box, so he’s a good lad.”

Not that anyone is expecting the trio to run before they can walk. After all, they are only able to train with Barrow when work commitments allow them.

Sloan has been training with the Bluebirds’ senior players on Thursdays and Fridays, and manager Ian Evatt hopes they can all find away to spend more time with them to fulfil their undoubted potential.

“It’s just the way of the world at the minute they’ve got jobs and have to work for a living, but to get up to our speed it’s something we maybe need to look at in the future to give them the best opportunity to get into our side,” said Evatt.

“The National League compared to that league is a big gulf in class, so it’s difficult for them to be immediately up to speed to be able to affect our team and produce the goods required to do it consistently.

“We want to get them training with us as much as possible so we can have a look at them, so they’re used to the intensity we play and train at, and go from there.”

For his part, Round is delighted to see young players from Barrow earning a chance at Holker Street, and praised Evatt, Craig Rutherford and Tony Callister for their work.

Indeed, he does not believe it will be long before other non-League clubs start coming in for players from this area.

“I think it’s great what Barrow are doing and it’s great for them to be going and training with Barrow,” said Round.

“I think the way the game is at the moment, and the lack of money in some non-League and part-time clubs, I think there will be other clubs coming around like Workington and Penrith. Certainly around Barrow, there are some good, young players.”