​Bamber Bridge provides the platform for young stars to showcase skills, says defender Macauley Wilson

​That’s the view of Brig stalwart Macauley Wilson who insists young players at clubs such as Preston and Blackpool will lose out if the Irongate outfit was to go to the wall.

Apter is one of Blackpool’s star players – the 21-year-old has made 10 appearances so far this season in League One for the Tangerines.

The wideman is tipped to achieve big things in the game, but he has not forgotten the important role Bamber Bridge played in his development.

Apter cut his teeth in men’s football during a loan spell at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium in 2021, making 18 appearances in the NPL Premier Division, scoring nine goals as an 18-year-old kid.

When the Board at Brig issued a stark warning earlier this month that the club is in serious financial difficulty, Apter was only too happy to lend his support.

Scotland Under-21 international Apter – who has been called up by his country to face Belgium tonight and Kazakhstan on Tuesday – is just one of a number of players who have benefited from a loan spell at Brig over the years.

Indeed, Brig’s current No.1 is 19-year-old Preston North End goalkeeper James Pradic, while Wilson himself first came to Brig on loan in 2016 from Blackpool.

"I am hoping clubs like Preston and Blackpool will try to help the club,” said Wilson, whose team travel to Basford United this weekend.

“Rob Apter put £500 back into the club because he realises what a special club it is.

"It was his first step in men’s football and look at him now. I think he was in the team of the week for League One and has scored his first goal for Blackpool.

"I think that just shows. Brig is a brilliant set-up and these players won’t go into a better dressing room to get experience.

"I know myself when I came from Blackpool. We sing a song after every game we win.

"You just get a proper buzz and fall in love with the club and when I came, I didn’t want to go back.”