One of the great strengths in the Northampton Town set-up these days is the willingness of former stars of the club to throw their experience and skills behind the vital drive to find and develop young talent, and I have been talking to Trevor Gould, currently manager of the Under 15 and 16 groups. This season Ray Warburton is overseeing one of the younger age groups.

This is a vital time for the 16-age group because in the very near future Head of Youth Geoff Harrop and his coaches will have to make the difficult decisions over which players will be offered places to continue their studies and their football careers in the club's youth set up next season, so it is a real bonus to have someone with Trevor's experience in youth coaching to lend a hand.

I am pleased to say he started our chat with good news. He tells me: "There is genuine talent in my squad and it is so important to the club to have young players coming through, hopefully all the way to the first team."

Since his own career in playing and management came to an end, Trevor has spent many years coaching young players and after helping out with youth coaching last season in various age groups, has taken a far more intense role this season. This has included evening coaching with some of the younger groups as well as assisting Jon Brady, currently playing with Kettering, with soccer schools around the county.

Trevor was born in Coventry and began his career with Coventry City back in the Sixties when they were going well in the old First Division. He played for England as a schoolboy and earned England Youth international caps during his five years with City. In addition he made a number of First Division appearances before Dave Bowen moved in to bring him to the Cobblers in 1970 for a three-year stay during which he made more than 100 appearances.

Trevor says: "I played either as a defender or in midfield where I very much enjoyed playing alongside Joe Kiernan. It was one of the best times in my career with Dave as manager up to my final year when Bill Baxter took over the actual handling of the team.

"All round it was a great experience to play with some of the real characters who are part of the history of the club. Joe, of course, Frank Large, Frank Rankmore, and Ray Fairfax amongst them."

The next step for Trevor was into non-League and he joined Bedford Town as player-manager. He played for Rushden and then took over as player-manager with Aylesbury United for another good spell in his career.

"We won promotion to the Football Conference," he says, "And in the 1989/90 season reached the second round of the FA Cup. There we came up against a Cobblers side managed by Graham Carr, and held them to a goalless draw at the County Ground.

"Coventry City were waiting for us in the third round and as you can imagine I dearly wanted to face yet another of my former clubs. The replay was just as tight as the first game but, sadly, we conceded the only goal of the tie during extra time." For the record the Cobblers went on to beat City 1-0 in the third round but then went out 3-0 away to Rochdale.

Trevor followed his careers as both player and manager with a move into coaching and in 1993 started a 12-year spell as youth team coach with Coventry City, in fact he was Director of Youth as well as the club's Youth Development Officer. He says: "It was a rewarding job that I enjoyed thoroughly. When it came to an end I was very sad. When Coventry came out of the Premier the cuts began and I was made redundant.

"Last season after Geoff had taken over the running of the youth set-up here at Sixfields he found himself a coach short. I was happy to help out as needed and this season, with Ray Warburton not as available as before, I have taken on the 15 and 16 groups as well as lending a hand with some of the younger lads.

"Although the Under-18s play in a league, the 16s simply play sides from other League clubs that have Centres of Excellence like our own. This is because these days it is all about development although personally I do like a competitive edge. What is good is to find so much talent in the club, and that goes right down to the under-9s."

Trevor has no travel problems as he and his wife Jackie (an Olympic swimmer as Jackie Enfield) have lived in Northampton for many years and are now in East Hunsbury. They have two sons, Robert who is 31 and 29-year-old Darren. Robert has played for Tamworth and Kettering and this season is helping with coaching for Wellingborough Town.

It was Trevor's elder brother Bobby who led the way into football by signing for Coventry as a boy, and Bobby went on to play for a number of top clubs and become something of an icon for supporters. Then he carried on for a managerial career with leading sides as well as having a spell as manager of the Welsh international team.

"Bobby retired two years ago," reports Trevor, "Well, sort of retired. His son Jonathan, who played six years in goal for Celtic, is manager of the Hawks Bay club in the New Zealand League and Bobby has been spending six months each year giving him a hand."

Trevor has many memories from his own career and the favourite is the day he played against Manchester United and found himself marking George Best. Another was Coventry's match against Tottenham when Martin Peters made his debut for Spurs.

He says: "Martin had just made football history because his move from West Ham was the first £100,000 transfer. But, no happy start for Martin because we beat them 3-2."

Summing up his career so far Trevor says: "I was fortunate to play professional football, go on into management and then come back to coach young players at both my League clubs. There is a lot of enjoyment in seeing the young players coming right through and knowing you've been able to help them."

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