I ENJOYED last weekend immensely and not just because the FA Cup showed itself to be alive and well.

As a result of some work that also allowed me valuable socialising, I got quite an insight into some of the things that are going on in our national game.

There is no more hospitable club in the Football League than Scunthorpe United who live within their means, do not suffer delusions of grandeur, and are a role model in the way they run their business.

I was delighted they put on a show against Manchester City and there was certainly no disgrace in losing to the supposedly richest club in the world.

It was an afternoon during which I learned a great deal.

Scunny chairman Steve Wharton, for example, told me that youth development had stalled to such an extent that his club’s coaches were telling him they need more time with young players who’ve never trained more than two or three hours.

Some players sit on the bench week after week getting little or no playing time so Scunthorpe intend to loan more out, even if it means not naming a full quota of substitutes on matchdays.

Manchester City’s Chief Operations Officer Brian Marwood confirmed to me that even his vastly rich employers intend to promote more 18 year-olds to the reserve side and first team squads.

Their bench at Scunthorpe included experienced internationals of the calibre of Craig Bellamy, Gareth Barry and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Marwood too is exasperated by the attitudes of professional players, some of whom are content to pick up a fat cheque at the end of every week, for minimum return.

“In Italy and Spain the star names hone their skills on the practise ground mornings and afternoons, and in between service the demands of the media with daily interviews,” he said.

“That sort of thing is not part of football culture in this country, but it has to change if we want to be successful internationally.”