Another big win, we’ve got a lot of youngsters in the first team squad as it is, so I wonder if we’ll see 1 or 2 go out on loan. They can still go to the NL outside the transfer window. Kedwell had a decent run of games there last season for comparison.
We played 3-5-2 again, with a few changing position later due to all the subs.
Although this is a very young side (18 and 19 most of them) they can compete physically with the Wendies and other sides (no idea on their ages).
And we can clearly outplay them.
A lot of these lads have played alongside each other for many years now and it shows.
Maclorg didn't have much to do but did it well. He can pass it out from the back but when he needs or wants to can kick it long and way into the other half.
Good that they play in a similar style and formation to the first team, defence strong, lots of runners and unlike our first team, lots of goals from midfield.
I hear Leaburn likely to play for the U21s on Friday. Not sure about when Dixon will play.
Caught up on the stream. Looked a mismatch, yet we weren't playing any 'nearly senior' players what with the silly buggers Cup against Cambridge tomorrow. I don't know the strength of the Sheffield Wednesday side. What it made me think of was this 'Category One' status we're continually denied. Does the U21 system come under category one? Anyway we have been a big fish in terms of results in a small pool now for a number of years at U21 and U18 level and below. Regularly almost dominating leagues and getting to the finals of loads of cups. I wonder if we would be able to play teams of a higher standard if we had category one. I accept that at that level we would probably be in the lower reaches, but the opposition would be better, we may learn more, we may be less open to people nicking our players, and it seems we have little more to prove at the levels we play at the moment.
Looked up Sheff Wed's team - not all that different from us, and they don't appear to have played any 17 year olds - we started 2, and Mwamba has only just turned 18.
Caught up on the stream. Looked a mismatch, yet we weren't playing any 'nearly senior' players what with the silly buggers Cup against Cambridge tomorrow. I don't know the strength of the Sheffield Wednesday side. What it made me think of was this 'Category One' status we're continually denied. Does the U21 system come under category one? Anyway we have been a big fish in terms of results in a small pool now for a number of years at U21 and U18 level and below. Regularly almost dominating leagues and getting to the finals of loads of cups. I wonder if we would be able to play teams of a higher standard if we had category one. I accept that at that level we would probably be in the lower reaches, but the opposition would be better, we may learn more, we may be less open to people nicking our players, and it seems we have little more to prove at the levels we play at the moment.
.we could defo do with better opposition but sadly the div that created the whole cat a academy based the whole thing on money and not history of talent or anything. We then employed him and his son
Caught up on the stream. Looked a mismatch, yet we weren't playing any 'nearly senior' players what with the silly buggers Cup against Cambridge tomorrow. I don't know the strength of the Sheffield Wednesday side. What it made me think of was this 'Category One' status we're continually denied. Does the U21 system come under category one? Anyway we have been a big fish in terms of results in a small pool now for a number of years at U21 and U18 level and below. Regularly almost dominating leagues and getting to the finals of loads of cups. I wonder if we would be able to play teams of a higher standard if we had category one. I accept that at that level we would probably be in the lower reaches, but the opposition would be better, we may learn more, we may be less open to people nicking our players, and it seems we have little more to prove at the levels we play at the moment.
I looked over the last 10 seasons of league tables for our u18s on the youthhawk website.
Including the northern section, no club has come close to consistently finishing as high as we have.
We finished 1st for the last 4 seasons, before that we finished 2nd for 4 years out of 5, with the other finish being 6th. In the year before that we finished 1st, giving us 5 1st places and 4 2nd places for our u18s over the last 10 years.
I believe Sheff Utd and Wigan have the next most 1st places, with 2 each.
I've only looked back at the last few seasons for our u21s, and while their record isn't as good, you could argue that's because our better u21s get involved in the first team at around 18-20 years old. And of course this season they've started brilliantly, despite a good number of academy players being part of the first team squad.
Category One was a big aim for TS, while I think it was Methven who recently talked about aiming to become one of the top five most productive academies in the country (vs wherever we are now, 8th I think?). If that's the ambition then I expect Category One is a big part of that.
It's going to be very interesting to see who comes in as Head of Player Development, the new role mentioned when the news about Steve Avory was announced. We must have offered Will Abbott a good salary to come here, I would guess we'll aim high for this role too.
I'm not knowledgeable about any of our younger mens squads, but do you think that some are ready for loans out to the National League or lower National League South and would they benefit from such a loan at this stage of their career.
Comments
Probably should read ANOTHER great performance !
We played 3-5-2 again, with a few changing position later due to all the subs.
MacLorg
Fullah Kedwell Enslin
Mwamba Huke
And we can clearly outplay them.
A lot of these lads have played alongside each other for many years now and it shows.
Maclorg didn't have much to do but did it well. He can pass it out from the back but when he needs or wants to can kick it long and way into the other half.
Good that they play in a similar style and formation to the first team, defence strong, lots of runners and unlike our first team, lots of goals from midfield.
I hear Leaburn likely to play for the U21s on Friday. Not sure about when Dixon will play.
Looked a mismatch, yet we weren't playing any 'nearly senior' players what with the silly buggers Cup against Cambridge tomorrow. I don't know the strength of the Sheffield Wednesday side.
What it made me think of was this 'Category One' status we're continually denied. Does the U21 system come under category one? Anyway we have been a big fish in terms of results in a small pool now for a number of years at U21 and U18 level and below. Regularly almost dominating leagues and getting to the finals of loads of cups.
I wonder if we would be able to play teams of a higher standard if we had category one. I accept that at that level we would probably be in the lower reaches, but the opposition would be better, we may learn more, we may be less open to people nicking our players, and it seems we have little more to prove at the levels we play at the moment.
Phillips 18?
Siqueira (c) 19
Emery 18?
Flannery 19
Johnson 18
Thornton 18
Buchan 19
Shipston 19
Moses 18
Fernandes 18
Brown 18?
MacLorg 18
Hobden 19 (nearly 20)
Hunter 18
Bower 19
Fullah 17
Mwamba 18 (yesterday!)
Kedwell 19
Huke 19
Enslin 18 (19 next month)
Mbick 17 (18 in November)
Casey 18
.we could defo do with better opposition but sadly the div that created the whole cat a academy based the whole thing on money and not history of talent or anything. We then employed him and his son
Including the northern section, no club has come close to consistently finishing as high as we have.
We finished 1st for the last 4 seasons, before that we finished 2nd for 4 years out of 5, with the other finish being 6th. In the year before that we finished 1st, giving us 5 1st places and 4 2nd places for our u18s over the last 10 years.
I believe Sheff Utd and Wigan have the next most 1st places, with 2 each.
http://youthhawk.co.uk/w/index.php/2023-24_Under-18_League_2
I've only looked back at the last few seasons for our u21s, and while their record isn't as good, you could argue that's because our better u21s get involved in the first team at around 18-20 years old. And of course this season they've started brilliantly, despite a good number of academy players being part of the first team squad.
Category One was a big aim for TS, while I think it was Methven who recently talked about aiming to become one of the top five most productive academies in the country (vs wherever we are now, 8th I think?). If that's the ambition then I expect Category One is a big part of that.
It's going to be very interesting to see who comes in as Head of Player Development, the new role mentioned when the news about Steve Avory was announced. We must have offered Will Abbott a good salary to come here, I would guess we'll aim high for this role too.