Stuart Kettlewell on 16-year-old Ross County striker Joe Coyle’s Brighton trial and Calum Brown’s debut shot

Ross County boss Stuart Kettlewell says 16-year-old striker Joe Coyle deserves his Brighton trial chance – but wants to see more youth products flourish in the Dingwall first-team.

The Staggies manager returned to the Global Energy Stadium hotseat in late December, trying to arrest the club’s poor form in the Championship.

After an initial improvement, County are rock bottom of the league, three points behind Airdrieonians with three games remaining, with mid-table Ayr United the visitors tomorrow.

The news Coyle, who scored twice on his debut last July in an 8-0 League Cup win against League Two Edinburgh City, has landed a week-long trial at English Premier League side Brighton has frustrated fans.

Staggies supporters feel he should have been trusted to help the County first-team this season – with that two-goal 17-minute spell his only senior chance.

Instead, the former Newtonmore shinty player has been scoring his goals for North Caledonian League and now Highland League-bound Invergordon on loan.

Ex-County gaffer Don Cowie handed Coyle his debut moment, while his successor Tony Docherty, who had only 13 league games in charge, never selected him.

Kettlewell, who alongside current chief executive Steven Ferguson, sensationally guided County to the SPFL Development League title in 2017, wants talented teens to become stars in the Staggies senior side going forward before making any big moves.

‘Joe wanted to experience going to another big football club’

However, he acknowledged the call from Brighton, currently ninth in the EPL, was too good for Coyle to ignore – and a chance for youngster the club could not block.

Kettlewell said: “There’s obviously a food chain. I’ve got my own thoughts and beliefs on those types of situations, but it becomes a fantastic opportunity for a young lad who is from this neck of the woods.

“There have been stories about the amount of clubs monitoring and watching Joe.

“We don’t want to stand in anybody’s way when that opportunity comes, but obviously we need to really pride ourselves on our academy and we need to try to benefit from it as much as we can.

“Equally, we acknowledge the size of club and the level of opportunity for someone like Joe to go and experience something different.

“That’s not to say there will be move for him, but we, as a football club, felt that opportunity should be given to him.

“Joe wanted to experience going to another big football club and seeing what that was like. We’ll monitor it.

“He’s a young lad who has been performing very well, pitching in with a lot of goals, and done a lot of first-team sessions, playing for the team earlier in the season.

“There are some decent young players in the academy, not just Joe and Calum Brown,  who made his debut last week.

“I can guarantee there’s another couple in there that we really like and we think could flourish at this club.”

Brown earned his debut chance

Brown, who turned 19 this week, made his first-team debut for County from the bench in last Friday’s 1-0 loss at Queen’s Park, having scored nine goals on loan at Highland League outfit Strathspey Thistle this term.

Interim Strathspey boss and ex-Inverness Caley Thistle star Aaron Doran this week praised Brown in The Press and Journal, insisting he can make the grade in Dingwall.

Kettlewell underlined the need for County to get results, and how having a squad high in numbers and players looking for opportunities has been a challenge, with time against him.

However, he explained Brown has earned his chance to be in the company of his more experienced Staggies players – and could feature in the closing fixtures which County must win to escape automatic relegation to League One.

Kettlewell said: “I won’t lie, some of it has frustrated me a bit that we’ve not been able to give some of our young players more of an opportunity.

“The squad was swollen in numbers, which can be a roadblock for bringing your own players through.

“I believe in trying to empower young players and get academy graduates into the first team.

“We saw an opportunity to do so (with Calum) and it wasn’t to make a statement.

“For a young lad, I thought he contributed well. He’s got physicality and pace. He can hold the ball up and can be really clever with his touches.

“We have to find out whether that will have an impact in the next three games.

“Him coming into first-team training every day, he started to show he’s got something we think can cause problems to the opposition.

“That for me, would hopefully be the first of many we start to see pushing through.”

[Source: Press and Journal]