Jack drinks his milk

These days, you need to drink your milk to be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley.

After Prescot Cables' game at Clitheroe, I did something I have not done before. Seeing the scores from the Football League, I paused and waited for the Accrington Stanley result, for a reason new to me, I knew one of the players.

Cables player Jack Phillips, who earned a clean sweep of the player of the year awards last season, had signed a short term contract with Accrington the previous day. He is not the first Cables player I have seen go to the Football League: Carl Baker is at MK Dons and Mark Duffy at Burton Albion, although they both went via Southport. Nor is he the first player I have photographed to do so: Erhun Öztümer and Danny Carr from Dulwich Hamlet spring to mind, but you do not make much connection with a player you see four or five times a season. Jack is the first player I have followed for a full season (even if I missed the wet Monday evening at Harrogate Railway Athletic) to progress, and the first from Prescot to move directly for many years.

At the first pre season game last year, I snapped the substitutes warming up. One struck me with not much more than his apparent youth. It was only a couple of games before I noticed he was regularly in my photos, often outwitting a bigger player.

Pre season against Charnock Richard

Three or four games in, I was looking out for the name of Jack Phillips on the team sheet.

Starting the season against Ossett Albion

In the FA Cup against FC United of Manchester

Step forward a year, to the first pre season game at Runcorn Town, and it was good to see Jack as a spectator. By now he was training with Accrington, and it would have been easy to concentrate on that and leave us to our own devices, but he came to watch about half the games.

Jack came to us from Wigan Athletic, about to cease to be eligible for their under 21 team, a birthday that was a surprise to many, who thought he was a lot younger. Many players leaving academies are lost to the game - Jack approached us after not hearing from anyone. A player released by a semi professional club will attract interest. Players leaving academies often need to to find their own club, at the same time as finding a new job or course of study. I suspect you have to be fairly determined to stay in the game to carry on playing. Many will decide it is time for something different, but it would be easy enough for academies to circulate the names of leavers interested in continuing to play to local clubs at steps 1-4.

There are plenty of players, Jack among them, who have the skill to play in the Football League, but, at 21, are not ready physically - take another look at that first photo, and compare it with this from the end of the season.

The last game at home against Brighoouse Town

Both Carl Baker and Mark Duffy turned fully professional at 23 or 24, and I thought Jack would be likely to do the same. However, Stanley manager John Coleman, as well as having long experience of the game at our level, was Jack's teacher at primary school. Much will have changed in his footballing ability in that time, but he will have known of his character. Given that I come away with a positive feeling from even a brief exchange of pleasantries with Jack, I suspect we will miss that as much as his ability on the field.

Celebrating a point saving goal against New Mills

Keeping the Yorkshirepersons at bay against Farsley

This week, Jack made his first team début for Accrington, coming on from the bench and contributing to their goal in the Capital One Cup against Bury. This blog extends its best wishes to Jack for his future success.