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Ashan Holgate's joining Newport County on loan.

Although I fully appreciate it'll be first team football and match fitness I can't help but think we should have at least tried to send him to at least the Conference National. Forest Green? Exeter City?

I know there is only a couple of divisions difference between us and the teams we're sending out our kids too but surely we should try and give them better non-league clubs for experience?

*EDIT*

I'm not critcising the club just merely stirring debate as I think Conference would be a better level of football... I watch quite a bit of it as a housemate is an Exeter City fan and there's not a whole lot of difference.

agreed completely, we should really be looking for conference national team to send them to as the dip in class between leagues from this one down is huge compared to championship-league one-league-two. im sure the likes of forest green would be delighted to have him for a few months.

think its just a case of getting rid as quickly as poss to save money.

If a lower league club offered to pay more of his wages than say a higher league club we would send him to the lower league club.

This is more about money then football.

Good point.

However, if true, I think it's poor because Holgate does have talent and does have a chance of a future career in professional football whereas it appears Leigh Henry and Stroud do not.

We're putting behind-the-scenes troubles ahead of someones career prospects... just like any other business I suppose.

I bet some of the staff in the club shop earn more than Ashan.

Bring Ashan back - the solution to our right wing void!

so whats the problem. in all truth there probably isn't much difference between a side like Newport or Sailsbury and Forest Green. the gap between the conference and conference south/north isn't that big i dont think. also id rather they go on loan to a team like this rather than Supermarine or Chippenham

It depends what team in these divisions we're talking about.

Yes there's not a big difference between Salisbury and Forest Green... But there's massive difference when comparing these teams to those like Exeter City.

Ashan Holgate risks becomes another Chris Taylor... I think we need to prioritise young players that can make an impact on the first team instead of throwing them in the group of youths that, yes, have pro deals but will not have prolonged football careers - Bampton, Farr, Edwards, Young, Herring etc etc etc

I guess going from Swindon to, say, Basingstoke on loan would make you want to better your game and succeed instead of falling into Non-League.

We seem to have a history of sending people to Newport, as well as the odd pre-season match - any deal between the two clubs?

another point to make about this is that as they are young some of them may not be able to go to a club like Exeter because its too far away. we normally send them out to local (ish) teams because they can travel there easily

I take your point but in all fairness Newport is still 60 miles away from Swindon - quite a distance still.

I think we're maybe victims of our geographical position!

exactly, if he went to forest green its not about the standard of players hes playing with, but the fact there will be better players to play against.

fuck it loan them all out to Oxford  :D

The likes of Ashan Holgate, Andy Caton and Lukas could probably go on loan to someone like the Shitty as well and do a job for them!!

Do we really want to be sending youngsters to the same club as Oxfords ex banana shover extraordinaire Julian Alsop?   :o

I think it’s more to do with getting players out to clubs were they’ll playing first team football more than anything else.

A lot of the conference sides have gone full time in the past few seasons and have their own youth set-up on the go themselves so are more likely to dip into their own reserves nowadays.

btw when is holgate out of contract is it in jan, did he only get 6 months at the end of last season?

Contract ends at the end of this season i think.

Millom

hes on £300 a week plus a few bonuses. Wise thinks hes got a good future as long as he gets plenty of games under his belt

Couldn't get Newport to win yesterday - but he started managing to keep nathan Blake on the bench.

WElls and Stroud weren't even starting for Basingstoke. Reckon we're wasting a good talent in Stroud too...