LIFE after Wanderers has not run smoothly for Jay Lynch but the young keeper hopes his career can now take off with the help of a few famous footballing names.

Still just 21 years old, the Salfordian stopper never quite made the grade in six years with the Whites despite earning high praise from senior staff like Owen Coyle, Fred Barber and Dougie Freedman.

Lynch left Euxton in the summer and was quickly snapped up on non-contract terms by League Two Accrington. But his time under James Beattie at the Crown Ground was brief and ended acrimoniously.

Lynch immediately accepted an offer from Salford City, competing in the earthier surroundings of Evo-Stik Division One North, but a club very much on the up after investment by ex-Manchester United stars Phil and Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt.

And he is now looking forward to putting a disappointing few months behind him after making his debut on Saturday.

“I’m a Salford lad, from Pendleton, so to play for the club at the moment is a big buzz,” he told The Bolton News.

“I grew up supporting United and looking up to these players I now see them around the place. It’s really exciting.”

Lynch was realistic about his Wanderers exit in July, knowing Adam Bogdan and Andy Lonergan’s dominance was going to make earning a new contract difficult.

But as someone who also trained alongside the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen, Ian Walker and Ali Al-Habsi in his time at the club, he has only one real regret.

“When you look at the quality of keeper I got to work with, it was great to train and learn from them every day,” he said.

“My biggest regret is not going out on loan to get games. It seemed whenever we’d talk about it, someone would get an injury and I’d be needed in and around the bench. It happened with Jussi and Adam and it was quite frustrating really.

“It was even harder for (now Bury keeper) Rob Lainton, who is a little bit older than me. I didn’t want to be in his situation where he had got an injury and didn’t have games to show for it.”

One of the stigmas Lynch has also had to learn to deal with was the notion he is “too short” to be a goalkeeper.

“It’s a very English way of thinking,” he said. “I’m a little bit under six foot, but if someone puts a ball in, I’d back myself to reach it with my hands before someone who’s 6ft 2ins. It’s all about timing and reading the ball.

“You might make up for it in other areas – shot-stopping, agility – but I’ve always seen that kind of attitude as a challenge.”

Lynch is upbeat about his future but admits to feeling resentment over the way he was cast on to the scrapheap by Accrington.

Some news agencies seem to have tied his exit to a Twitter message that indicated he was frustrated at a lack of chances – but the keeper revealed the reasoning given was less clear cut.

“At Accrington I thought ‘this is my chance’ now I can get some games,” he said.

“I’d been training with Everton and James Beattie (Accy boss) must have spoken with someone there. He’d got a young keeper in called Luke Simpson but they weren’t sure whether they wanted to put him in right away.

“They said I’d be in for three games but I hadn’t signed a contract. I sat on the bench for the first game but thought it was because I’d just got there, and Luke did well.

“I missed the next couple and it was only when Luke got sent off I got a chance. We got battered with 10 men but I made a few saves. I played the next one against Luton and got man of the match in some papers. I was happy with how it went.

“They were saying I was their top keeper but then I got pulled to one side and told the club didn’t have the finances to keep me. I said I’d play for free – I only wanted games – but it felt like they’d stabbed me in the back a bit.

“They brought a lad in from QPR and it felt like they were trying to keep them happy by playing him.”