Ford needs deals to be done before it's too late

Banbury United's Zac McEachran has been selected for Jamie Vardy's V9 Academy

The selected players come from steps 1-5 of the non-league pyramid and also include Brackley Town’s Alex Gudger and Shane Byrne. They will attend a five-day training camp at Manchester City’s Etihad Campus next month and Sky Sports will be filming the six-part reality show.

If McEachran is snapped up during the trial it will be a big blow to the Puritans but several clubs will have already looked at the midfielder over the past two seasons.

Boss Mike Ford said: “Zac made me aware of this from the outset, it’s basically a trial and a chance for him to put himself in the shop window. He’s been offered a new contract here but wants to see what happens next month.”

More concerning for Ford is getting in the players he is after at this crucial time of year. Ford knows the players he needs to improve the squad again.

The club has put three players on contract, Jack Harding, Ricky Johnson and George Nash, but Ford added: “This is the most important time for any manager, deals need to be done or our targets will go elsewhere.”