Fenner wants Compton on board
Dawlish Town chairman Dave Fenner has revealed that he is in talks with former Torquay United coach Paul compton about setting up a youth development scheme at the Toolstation Western League Club.
Compton - who has also worked with the youngsters at current Coca-Cola Chapionship outfits Swansea City, Cardiff City and West Bromich Albion - has had two spells within the youth department in Torquay.
Perhaps his most successful role was as youth development officer from 1991 to 2001 when, with the help of chief scout John James, the operation generated around £1.3 million in transfer fees under his guidance.
Among those players Compton helped to nurture were Darren Moore, Wayne Thomas and Garry Monk. Moore (currently with Barnsley), Thomas (Southampton), and Monk (Swansea City) have all gone on to enjoy sustained spells in the higher reaches of English football after being sold to Doncaster Rovers, Stoke City and Southampton respectively.
Compton returned to Plainmoor in June 2008, working alongside Matt Williams as joint-boss of United's relaunched youth team, before parting company with the club last summer.
He is understood to have a number of football commitments at the present time, but Fenner is hoping to persuade his "friend" to give up any free time he may have.
"I would like him to come and look at having a youth facility that he can look after," said Fenner.
"One day I'd like to see a Dawlish Town side with four or five Dawlish players in it at first-team level".
"That, at the moment, is absolutely impossible".
"We've only found one or two kids in the last five years from Dawlish who've managed to sustain and play at that level - that just can't be right".
"I know there's much bigger clubs Paul can go and work for - let's be honest, he can go and do Swansea City (again) if he weants to - and he's always going to get looked at but, at the moment, I'd like him to give me any time he's got".
"At the end of the day, we can only benefit from that".
Fenner added: "There's two roles, really, for Paul here. there's a role where he can overlook the under 16's, 17's and 18's so that it supports our first team and. morte importantly, he can oversee those managers just to see whether they're covered when they go away. He's a spare hand, a guy who knows about kid's football."
The hoped-for appointment of Compton is all part of Fenner's plans to "move the club forward".
He dreams of taking the Seasiders, South Devon's second-highest ranked club, behind Torquay United, further up the non-League ladder, with a new stadium at their Sandy Lane base seen as a priority.
(Story courtesy of the Independent on Sunday)
| 
