Tranmere Rovers manager Les Parry sends Cole Stockton and Will Vaulks out on loan to toughen them up

Dec 1 2011 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

MANAGER Les Parry reckons young Tranmere prospects Cole Stockton and Will Vaulks can gain a valuable education in the hard realities of nonleague football on loan spells with local part-time clubs over the coming weeks.

Front man Stockton has been released on a work experience loan to Vauxhall Motors in the Blue Square Conference North, while defender Vaulks is on a similar assignment at Cammell Laird in the Evo Stick First Division North.

Parry is in no doubt that the teenagers stand to gain valuable experience after making impressive progress through the youth and reserve ranks at Prenton Park.

Parry added: “Both Cole and Will are excelling at youth football. They are probably finding it a little bit easy. So we sent them out to proper men’s football – somewhere where they will get kicked and elbowed.

“It is competitive in a different way to youth football. Hopefully it will progress them as players and we will get back more complete players than we sent out. They can both look after themselves and they will need to. That’s the idea.

“I’m confident Will will do a great job for the Lairds and Cole will score goals for Vauxhall Motors.”

Stockton will be looking to make his Conference North debut for Vauxhall Motors at home to Heston this weekend after making a substitute appearance in an FA Trophy win over Marine last Saturday.

Vaulks should be in action for Lairds against Clitheroe.

Parry points to Ash Taylor as an example of a player who benefited in a big way from a spell in non-league football early in his career.

Taylor, 21, now an established member of Rovers’ senior squad with more than 80 games under his belt, was dispatched at the North Wales coast to play non-league football with Colwyn Bay early in 2009.

Taylor, a defender who can also operate in midfield, played 14 games for Bay and admitted afterwards: “I felt a lot tougher for it.”

Parry said: “Ash Taylor is a massive example for Cole and Will. I think Ash went out to Colwyn Bay as a boy and came back as a man. He had a bit more confidence after he’d spent a few months there.”

Taylor was making a good impression three years ago when Ronnie Moore, manager at the time, dispatched him to Colwyn Bay. Taylor returned to make his first-team debut as a substitute in the last game of the 2008/09 season – a 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe that saw Rovers narrowly miss out on making the play-offs.