Left-back Shane O’Connor is an example for the club’s other young players to follow, according to Town manager Roy Keane. The Cork-born full-back has made an impressive start to his first team career in recent weeks and looks certain to be offered new terms when the one-year contract he signed last summer expires in June.
Keane said: "Shane can act as an example to them, but he’s also playing for a contract. All these lads are playing for something.
"There’s always something at stake when you walk out on that football pitch, whether it’s training or a match. You’re playing for your future, you’re playing for pay rise, you’re playing for a contract, you’re playing to stay in the team or you’re playing to get in the team.”
The Blues boss says O’Connor, who was released by Liverpool last season, has the necessary desire, but even he has taken his foot off the accelerator in training on occasion: "You’ve got to have that hunger about you and Shane’s got it.
"I left him out last week because I wasn’t happy with the way he trained one of the days. No days off. He took a day off and he paid for it. But he got back in.
"I always give players a chance and he took it. We’ll see how he trains this morning, that he doesn’t have another off day today.”
Overall though, Keane says the 19-year-old has earned his place in his side: "He deserves it, he played at Sheffield Wednesday, we won, Scunthorpe, we drew, he played the other night against Cardiff.
"He’s probably saying to me ‘how can you possibly leave me out?’ The three games he’s been involved in we’ve not lost and we’ve conceded one goal.
"He’s a really good kid, he’s got a good attitude, he’s got a lot to learn but seven or eight months ago he didn’t have a club, he was going to train with Rockmount, my old soccer team back in Ireland, and now he’s in the first team here. Brilliant. That’s what football’s all about, giving people an opportunity.”
O'Connor, who has been capped by the Republic of Ireland at U16, U17, U18 and U19 levels, looks set to make his fourth first team appearance this afternoon when the Blues face Scunthorpe at Portman Road.