Blues boss Paul Jewell says fans shouldn’t expect too much too soon from French midfielder Cheick Kourouma, whose one-year deal with Town was finally confirmed a fortnight ago. The Town manager says the 20-year-old, whose signing was delayed by red tape relating to his old clubs, is viewed as one for the future rather than someone likely to break straight into the first team.
Jewell said: "He’s only a young lad, we’ve taken a few young lads on below the first team that we’re hoping can turn out to be players.
"He’s nowhere near the finished article, he’s a bit raw around the edges but he will get better.
"Whether he becomes a player in our first team in the years to come is entirely up to him and how he progresses. We’ve got to be careful not to expect too much of him.”
Kourouma was in the U21 side which beat Barnet 3-2 last Sunday with academy second-year scholar Jack Marriott netting a hat-trick.
It was the striker's second three-goal haul of the season, the first having come in the 4-1 U18s victory over Swansea in August.
Assistant manager Chris Hutchings was impressed with the 18-year-old's performance, but says Sunday's game was a long way from a first team match.
"Jack did very well, he’s honest and hard-working and he took his goals very well and that will do his confidence no end of good,” he said.
"But it’s a big step from there and if you look at the team, it was basically the youth team apart from Joe Whight and Cheick Kourouma.”
However, he believes the U21 side, which has replaced the traditional reserve team this season, is a useful bridge between the U18s and senior football: "It was a very young team and that’s a nice environment for them to be in.
"It’s now not such a big jump from the U18s to the first team squad. It’s a void which is trying to be filled.
"Because we’ve got a busy schedule at this moment in time there weren’t too many of the older pros involved.”