JAMIE Pitman is using the experiences of his time as a YTS scholar at Swindon Town to teach the Robins’ starts of tomorrow.

The former Hereford manager, who started off his playing career as a youngster at the County Ground, is now in charge of the 13-16 age group in the Town academy.

Though the kind of coaching he received from then-youth manager John Trollope was vastly different from what he is expected to deliver now, Pitman still believes the bare essentials of the role transcend through the generations.

And he is aiming to inspire Swindon’s next crop of young footballers.

“I think certainly you reflect back on your experiences and I think that’s what you do as a coach anyway,” he said.

“As a coach you always try to give people the benefit of your experiences and what you’ve learnt about the game - good and bad.

“That’s certainly how I perceive it and I think it’s always one of those things you can learn. A lot of the time you look back on the experiences you had and you make sure other people don’t make those mistakes.”

As is the case with the majority of coaches in the lower leagues, Pitman viewed the EPPP with immense scepticism when it was first proposed a few years ago.

However, he admitted that he can see the benefits of the additional work the scheme has created following its implementation this summer.

He said: “There’s some very good aspects to it. When I initially heard about it I thought ‘where’s this going’ but there are some really good aspects to it.

“The downside is that as coaches you have to do a lot of computer-based work now rather than just coaching. You have to record everything but that’s only a time element. It makes you reflect a lot on the sessions you’ve got.”