Barnet's title-winning youth coach Ross Eames has been promoted to become development coach, charged with overseeing the path between the Under-18s and the first team.

Eames, who along with Henry Newman helped the Bees' Under-18s win the Football League Youth Alliance South East division last term, steps up from his role as lead professional development phase coach.

He will oversee the development of eight academy products who have been offered one year professional deals by Barnet.

Speaking to the club website, Eames said: “It is a great privilege to make this step up along with a group of players who achieved so much last year.

"However, there is still a lot of work to be done and it is now my job to oversee this transition phase from to turn youth team players into first team ones in all aspects of the game – tactically, technically and physically whilst maintaining our winning mentality and desire to learn. 

“I would like to thank both the chairman and manager for offering me this promotion and I am looking forward to working with them both. I would also like to thank academy manager Henry Newman who showed enormous faith in me last year as coach of the youth team. It was my first year in the role and together we achieved history whilst playing an exciting brand of football."

He added: “I have now been at the club for six years and it is fantastic to be part of this exciting era for Barnet FC. We have an excellent future in terms of youth development, and with the amount of talent coming through the academy beneath this current crop of development players I am confident that we can maintain our current momentum and help contribute to an exciting future.” 

Head coach Martin Allen commented: “Ross for sure deserves this opportunity, and he will be working closely with Adrian Whitbread, Graham Stack and myself. 

“We will be working with a small squad next season and it is important that these young players are helped to develop mentally and physically in order to prepare them for the next stage of their careers playing in the club’s first team.”