FOR some, it is a blow from which they never recover. Others can come out fighting, though.

It is all about the reaction. A teenage dream can be dashed but opportunities can arise out of the disappointment.

The end of the season will be the end of the road for players that find themselves out of favour and then fall out of love with the game.

Those that choose the right path can stride two steps forward after being forced to take one back, though.

And Campbell Money, the Scottish FA’s Performance Academy Officer, hopes the latest crop of kids released by clubs across the country are able to find their feet and their form heading into the new campaign.

“Everybody will react differently,” Money told SportTimes. “Some players are able to come back from it relatively easily, some players take a bit of time to get their head right again and some, unfortunately, get nowhere near professional football again.

“That is the reality of the situation and nothing has changed over a long period of time in that sense. It is down to individual players how they react to being released by clubs.

“At our exit trial, we had around 40 kids that were born in either 2000 or 2001 and the standard was decent.

“We are confident that some of them will find clubs for themselves, even if that is at a lower level than the ones they were at before.”

Hundreds of kids set out on what they hope will be the road to glory every summer but few realise the ultimate ambition and hit the headlines in the top flight.

The SFA and PFA Scotland both run exit trials for players at different age levels that find themselves facing an uncertain future.

It is up to youth chiefs at clubs across the game to break the bad news to youngsters at all stages that they are not being kept on. The talk is tough but Money believes there is a benefit of being upfront and honest from the off.

“I think that is a conversation that should be had with parents and players prior to any registration forms being signed,” he said.

“There is the potential that it will not work out for them. I think that is right and a conversation that needs to take place, because the number that make it through is relatively small.

“There are things in place now, like the exit trials, that offer a second chance for some of the players.

“It is a fleeting chance and if they don’t take it then the likelihood of them being picked up minimises at that point. Some players that leave clubs are fixed up relatively quickly.”

Many of the kids that find themselves amongst the annual end of season cull have been at their respective clubs for most of their lives.

But they never get the chance to fulfil their potential in the colours that they have aspired to pull on for so long.

That doesn’t need to be the end of their ambitions, though. Where one door closes, another can open.

Money said: “I don’t think the numbers are high that fall out of the game completely because players will find a level for themselves, whether that is Juveniles, Amateur, Junior or Senior football.

“They will find a level should they wish to continue with the game but we recognise that there are kids that take the decision so badly that they don’t play again. They are few and far between thankfully.

“There are kids who leave professional clubs, go and play at a lower level and become first team players. That is the nature of the beast.

“There are some who kick on, and Andy Robertson is a perfect example of that.

“There have been other players that have been released that have gone on to do well for themselves and that will continue to be the case.”

For many, a change of circumstances and scenery can prove to be the fresh start that they need both on and off the pitch.

It can be a chance to go into further education or employment and opportunities can arise away from the game that may otherwise not have been there.

It is a route back into the game that appeals most, though, and Money hopes as many as possible make the most of that second shot at glory.

“They are not necessarily run through the Scottish FA but there are companies that run scholarships to America and that kind of thing,” he said.

“We have got our own exit trial that deals with the kids at 16 and 17 and it is up to them how they do on the day.

“We have implemented these trials and we do it for Under-15s as well. This year there were so few released that we didn’t have enough for two teams and it was cancelled.

“There are more players released as they get older when decisions are made whether they have got a career as a professional or not.”