Academy & U21s

[DeeCee]

3 hours ago, KentExile said:

Double tournament winners in Poland for some of our 2011 born and 2013 born players🏆🥇Well done to all the players staff and travelling supporters who represented the Academy and the club so well on and off the pitch

U14s & U12s (I think) have both won tournaments in Poland

I do wonder if with the first team not using the bus at the moment, they did a road trip through Europe with them, or got a last minute deal on EasyJet 😉 

"Find your own way there"

[bluebruce]

I saw yesterday that Jake Barrett has signed a new two year deal with a one year extension option, and my immediate thought was: why?

22 year old keeper (we have a lot of youth keepers) who seemingly hasn't pulled up any trees. Has he even sat our bench? Because younger keepers have. I don't get it. Whatever his wage is, just add it onto an offer for a senior player instead.

[MarkBRFC]

Cheap and easy.

That's the only goal here.

[bluebruce]

20 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

Cheap and easy.

That's the only goal here.

Aye but even with that mantra it doesn't make sense. We have more young keepers than we need, by some distance.

[MarkBRFC]

At best (for him) he's here to sit on the bench when Pears moves on.

If Pears stay, then I imagine he's just here to travel with the 1st teams as the 3rd choice keeper. 

Michelski shouldn't be used for that role at his age as it will stunt his development, he needs a season playing every week where it's for our under 21's or if he can get a National League/League 2 loan somewhere and play.

[KentExile]

Whilst the main talk of the retain list is obviously for the first team, this is what we now have available at U21 & U18 level.  Some of the below is plagiarized from a previous post I made (in case it looks familiar)

 

Is 8 keepers overkill?

 

Players who are considered overage for U21s (or will be next season) -

Barrett, Goddard, O'Riordan, Pratt, Garrett, Montgomery, Wood, Leonard

 

* = out of contract but new contract offered

 

GK - Michalski, Barrett, Goddard *, Honor, Kahn, Thompson, Wolsoncroft, Holt

CB - O'Riordan, Atcheson, Litherland, Pratt, Davies, Olson, Decandia, Kelley-Quinn

LB - Batty *, Powell,  Pates,  Leeming,

RB - Duru, Houghton, McIlroy (technically a centre back, but has played right back for the U18s this season)

CM -  Garrett, Montgomery, O'Grady-Macken,, Dunn, J.Edmondson, Farkas, Vare, Mansbridge, Potter, Ball

AM/Wingers - Tyjon, Wood, A.Doherty, Strich, Dlamini, Leatherbarrow, Sergeant, McCoy, Clanford, Lister, Mullarkey-Matthews *

S - Leonard (presumably to build fitness), Boggan, Mafoumbi, Joseph, Higgins, Cryer

 

Also Odogun, although I am not familiar of his position, from his instagram, it seems like we have taken him from Wolves

 

No mention of Silver Eze, in either the retain list or new scholarship intake, so assume he has moved on

 

I was  a little surprised to see Rhys Doherty on the released list rather than having his option triggered, Whilst never looking like he could eventually break into the first team, always looked comfortable at U21 level & could play across the back 4, which would have been useful given a lack of depth at right back (in the youth teams).  Adam Caddick by the same token always looked ok, but I can more understand his release as he was surpassed by Isaac Dunn last season and there are plenty of other options in  central midfield

Edited 18 minutes ago by KentExile