Academy Development Thread - sponsored by BryanRoy!

[Captain Sinister]

>4000 spectators turned out too.
Excellent performance and a momentous victory.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

Often wonder if some of the under 18's might get chance to train with the first team, maybe even get a spot on the bench for a cup game.

But you can see in their development physical wise why it doesn't happen. Almost all of them look like the boys they are rather than men they will soon be.

 

[BryanRoy]

What a special night and special occasion at the City Ground for our club.

That was a victory well deserved. We were a better team & well coached compared to a lot of individuals on their side that supposedly this season is how they've got jobs done.

A dogged and determined performance but we were much smarter.

Aaron Bott - 1 top class save at the near post which he would have seen very late & then an unbelievably brave block to keep it at 1-0. Top young keeper.

Ben Hammond - Thought he was our best CB defensively on the night. Some unbelievably smart reading of danger
Zach Abbott - Only 15 & dealt with the occasion fairly well. Got his passing through lines going at times & had to do a lot of smart jockying & ground to cover.
Pharrell Johnson - Brought the left-foot and good physicality.

Josh Powell - Thought he was excellent. All night giving players option running beyond them & he put in a great tackle in a 50/50. Superb.
Jamie McDonnell - What more can you say about this tigerish leader. His pressing was relentless & he made life tough for their best player Webster.
Sam Collins - Under the radar MOM. Smart and aggressive off the ball and cool and calm on it wanting to get the ball down & play. Couple of snap-shots.
Kyle McAdam - Won so many headers. Was superb in the 1v1 and also offered good options beyond the ball which lead to our 2nd goal.

Jack Nadin - Unassuming but highly creative and technical. He just links things so well. Thought he scored with that magnificent curling effort. Hopefully the injury wasn't as bad as it looked.

Dale Taylor - MOM. Just class. Has so much time on the ball. Creative spark. They couldn't live with him. Deserved goal, lovely nutmeg + outside of the foot pass for the 2nd goal.
Esapa Osong - Couldn't get going early but he was still working so hard. Looks like he is struggling with movement at times but he is always a dangers when he can run at defenders or turn them. Lovely left-footed shot off the cross bar + his 2 late goals.


Subs:
Jack Perkins - replaced Nadin and he was quietly effective. Confident on the ball & so often when he plays he is involved in an Osong goal like that smart lay-off for our 2nd.
Justin Hanks - Thought he should have started & he made a difference when he came on. Long-throws a bonus.


PS Also noticed U16 Striker Connor Brown + U15 Midfielder George Hemmings along with recent signings Bobby-Jack McAleese and Ethan Hull were with the team.

 

[BryanRoy]

Chelsea were without their captain Harvey Vale who has played for their first team this season.

In terms of additions, they bought their left-back Dylan Williams a couple months ago who played for Derby first team this season & did well.

Otherwise their additions were Taurinien from Finland in midfield at u18 & the front 3 of Mothersille (Orient at 16), Soonsup-Bell (Swindon at 13/14) & Stutter (West Ham at 14/15). Leo Castledine on as a sub from Wimbledon at 15.

They were older than us as well.

All their England internationals last night : Brodi Hughes, Silko Thomas, Charlie Webster, Lewis Hall, Jude Soonsup-Bell, Ronnie Stutter + off the bench Derrick Abu, Leo Castledine & Tudor Mendel-Idowu.


Our final opponents are going to be very interesting. Their 2nd year scholars had a lot of investment. The last age group players could be signed from Europe but their first years and U16s are top-top groups largely local.

2nd years: Shola Shoretire their star from the lower age groups but they've signed Toby Collyer (Brighton), Joe Hugill (Sunderland), Charlie McNeill (Man City), Isaak Hansen-Aroen (Tromso), Marc Jurado (Barcelona), Alejandro Garnacho (A Madrid & just called up by Argentina), Logan Pye (Sunderland), Omari Forson (Tottenham) & Willy Kambwala (Sochaux)

Plus their first years who I rate a lot & they produced themselves like Kobie Mainoo, Sam Mather, Daniel Gore, Tyler Fredericson, Sam Murray + others who are all England players.

 

[BryanRoy]

Heard the final will be 6 May but we should hear very soon on that. Kick-off 7PM.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

What a special night and special occasion at the City Ground for our club.

That was a victory well deserved. We were a better team & well coached compared to a lot of individuals on their side that supposedly this season is how they've got jobs done.

A dogged and determined performance but we were much smarter.

Aaron Bott - 1 top class save at the near post which he would have seen very late & then an unbelievably brave block to keep it at 1-0. Top young keeper.

Ben Hammond - Thought he was our best CB defensively on the night. Some unbelievably smart reading of danger
Zach Abbott - Only 15 & dealt with the occasion fairly well. Got his passing through lines going at times & had to do a lot of smart jockying & ground to cover.
Pharrell Johnson - Brought the left-foot and good physicality.

Josh Powell - Thought he was excellent. All night giving players option running beyond them & he put in a great tackle in a 50/50. Superb.
Jamie McDonnell - What more can you say about this tigerish leader. His pressing was relentless & he made life tough for their best player Webster.
Sam Collins - Under the radar MOM. Smart and aggressive off the ball and cool and calm on it wanting to get the ball down & play. Couple of snap-shots.
Kyle McAdam - Won so many headers. Was superb in the 1v1 and also offered good options beyond the ball which lead to our 2nd goal.

Jack Nadin - Unassuming but highly creative and technical. He just links things so well. Thought he scored with that magnificent curling effort. Hopefully the injury wasn't as bad as it looked.

Dale Taylor - MOM. Just class. Has so much time on the ball. Creative spark. They couldn't live with him. Deserved goal, lovely nutmeg + outside of the foot pass for the 2nd goal.
Esapa Osong - Couldn't get going early but he was still working so hard. Looks like he is struggling with movement at times but he is always a dangers when he can run at defenders or turn them. Lovely left-footed shot off the cross bar + his 2 late goals.


Subs:
Jack Perkins - replaced Nadin and he was quietly effective. Confident on the ball & so often when he plays he is involved in an Osong goal like that smart lay-off for our 2nd.
Justin Hanks - Thought he should have started & he made a difference when he came on. Long-throws a bonus.


PS Also noticed U16 Striker Connor Brown + U15 Midfielder George Hemmings along with recent signings Bobby-Jack McAleese and Ethan Hull were with the team.

I was keeping an eye on Nadin as that's the sort of role I used to play when before my little lad retired me. Really liked the look of him, just seems to have that natural intelligence of dropping into space, knowing the runs of others, right pass to attempt at the right time etc. It's really difficult to teach that stuff.

Think him and Taylor are the ones you'd pin a "they'll probably make it" badge on. That's not to say the others won't as they all played well, but they're going to have to work harder and have a perfect attitude to demonstrate why they deserve to be pros. Doable, our current central midfielder that came through the academy would fit that description of hard-working-great-attitude very well.

 

[BryanRoy]

I was keeping an eye on Nadin as that's the sort of role I used to play when before my little lad retired me. Really liked the look of him, just seems to have that natural intelligence of dropping into space, knowing the runs of others, right pass to attempt at the right time etc. It's really difficult to teach that stuff.

Think him and Taylor are the ones you'd pin a "they'll probably make it" badge on. That's not to say the others won't as they all played well, but they're going to have to work harder and have a perfect attitude to demonstrate why they deserve to be pros. Doable, our current central midfielder that came through the academy would fit that description of hard-working-great-attitude very well.

Exactly. If you asked Brazil at the time he wouldn't have said Osborn, Worrall and Yates at 17 were definites to make it at Forest. At 16 I think the club already had Lascelles, Appiah, Johnson and Mighten ear-marked for example. Appiah & Mighten first trained with the first team at 16. Brereton & Cash after joining us just accelerated their development in our environment.

Then you got to remember that only Johnson, Collins, McDonnell, Perkins, Taylor are 2nd years from the group who move up to 23s next season. Clarridge who is an England Yth international hopefully can still come back from his injury woes.

All these guys like Bott, Hammond, Abbott (2 more seasons), Hanks, Powell, McAdam, Nadin, Osong + Thompson, Gardner, Perry, McAleese can play again next season in the FA Youth Cup which makes our achievement even more special.

 

[Otis Redding]

What a special night and special occasion at the City Ground for our club.

That was a victory well deserved. We were a better team & well coached compared to a lot of individuals on their side that supposedly this season is how they've got jobs done.

A dogged and determined performance but we were much smarter.

Aaron Bott - 1 top class save at the near post which he would have seen very late & then an unbelievably brave block to keep it at 1-0. Top young keeper.

Ben Hammond - Thought he was our best CB defensively on the night. Some unbelievably smart reading of danger
Zach Abbott - Only 15 & dealt with the occasion fairly well. Got his passing through lines going at times & had to do a lot of smart jockying & ground to cover.
Pharrell Johnson - Brought the left-foot and good physicality.

Josh Powell - Thought he was excellent. All night giving players option running beyond them & he put in a great tackle in a 50/50. Superb.
Jamie McDonnell - What more can you say about this tigerish leader. His pressing was relentless & he made life tough for their best player Webster.
Sam Collins - Under the radar MOM. Smart and aggressive off the ball and cool and calm on it wanting to get the ball down & play. Couple of snap-shots.
Kyle McAdam - Won so many headers. Was superb in the 1v1 and also offered good options beyond the ball which lead to our 2nd goal.

Jack Nadin - Unassuming but highly creative and technical. He just links things so well. Thought he scored with that magnificent curling effort. Hopefully the injury wasn't as bad as it looked.

Dale Taylor - MOM. Just class. Has so much time on the ball. Creative spark. They couldn't live with him. Deserved goal, lovely nutmeg + outside of the foot pass for the 2nd goal.
Esapa Osong - Couldn't get going early but he was still working so hard. Looks like he is struggling with movement at times but he is always a dangers when he can run at defenders or turn them. Lovely left-footed shot off the cross bar + his 2 late goals.


Subs:
Jack Perkins - replaced Nadin and he was quietly effective. Confident on the ball & so often when he plays he is involved in an Osong goal like that smart lay-off for our 2nd.
Justin Hanks - Thought he should have started & he made a difference when he came on. Long-throws a bonus.


PS Also noticed U16 Striker Connor Brown + U15 Midfielder George Hemmings along with recent signings Bobby-Jack McAleese and Ethan Hull were with the team.

Good analysis Bryan, thanks.

 

[Master Yates]

Fantastic achievement. I bet Chelsea’s youth budget would put them somewhere in the middle of Championship teams first team budgets, so great to hear we turned them over.

And thanks BryanRoy for the continued coverage here. It’s good to follow the lads’ progress when I don’t live close enough to watch them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mist from the Trent]

Really good watch. Worked so hard for each other. I thought Taylor stood out a mile for us, which isn't to say the others didn't perform well, he just looked top quality. Charlie Webster for Chelsea looks like he will be some player as well.

 

[Otis Redding]

I'd be surprised if Dale Taylor isn't loaned-out next season. He looks more-than-ready for men's football, possibly even League One level to really test him - Mansfield or Lincoln would be ideal considering the style of football that both play.

 

[ubik]

I'm still smiling at the Chelsea fan whose YouTube comment at the final whistle mocked Forest fans for cheering a Youth Cup victory: 'Tinpot club!'

Probably too young to even know about times like these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQdIgGGofs8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26P2WEPVoFw

Shocking to think those days were over 30 years ago, but things are looking up right now.

 

[Steve B]

Really appreciate the insight BryanRoy regularly provides on the academy sides. I always like to keep tabs on them. I agree on the analysis of Dale Taylor. Really oozed a bit of class at times there, dynamic and composed in equal measure when he needs to be. Lovely disguised thread off the outside of the boot for the 2nd. I didn’t watch enough of the game to judge the whole team, but I thought Perkins really contributed to that strong finish, seemed to have a hand in a lot of pressure building. Great team spirit too.

 

[Captain Sinister]

Question: if anyone attended from here, did you see if any of the first team squad made the game as a spectator?
I sort of assume that as there is so much emphasis on the holistic nature of the Club under SC, that there would have been senior players along to cheer on the U18s.
Me and the Mrs would have loved to have gone, but we are both struggling to shake off Omicron.
Please let us be free of it so we can attend on Wednesday.

 

[ubik]

Question: if anyone attended from here, did you see if any of the first team squad made the game as a spectator?
I sort of assume that as there is so much emphasis on the holistic nature of the Club under SC, that there would have been senior players along to cheer on the U18s.
Me and the Mrs would have loved to have gone, but we are both struggling to shake off Omicron.
Please let us be free of it so we can attend on Wednesday.

Wasn't there, but post #7664 would seem to say yes.

 

[Rzar]

It feels like everything as a club is falling into place, I really hope the first team can get promotion, it would create such momentum around the club and even the city.

 

[Loughborough_red]

Watched on the YouTube stream last night as I couldn't get out of work in time. I thought we dominated the ball brilliantly and played with so much bravery.

I hope these lads are paraded around the pitch at half time tomorrow, they deserve to be centre of attention.for the night. An incredible achievement.

 

[Rzar]

Is it a home game for Man Utd or is it just a neutral ground?

Such a shame it wasn't at the City Ground, I could genuinely see us getting a full house the way the club is at the minute.

 

[donny]

Question: if anyone attended from here, did you see if any of the first team squad made the game as a spectator?
I sort of assume that as there is so much emphasis on the holistic nature of the Club under SC, that there would have been senior players along to cheer on the U18s.
Me and the Mrs would have loved to have gone, but we are both struggling to shake off Omicron.
Please let us be free of it so we can attend on Wednesday.

From what Warren Joyce said in his interview, some of the first teamers were in the dressing room before the game to talk to the players.

 

[donny]

Something coming from a work in progress thing...

 

[Bonalair]

FA website says final must be played by 30th, and Man Utd website says tickets are £1 and on sale later today. So I guess we’ll know time and date then

 

[donny]

More stuff that Bryan would enjoy.. (just ignore a few little errors in there)

 

[Bonalair]

FA website says final must be played by 30th, and Man Utd website says tickets are £1 and on sale later today. So I guess we’ll know time and date then

Still can’t find it confirmed anywhere, nor ticket sale date?

 

[BryanRoy]

90th minute winner by Dale Taylor up at Burnley on Saturday. Thought it quite rich their coach saying we were aggressive since when we've played them from Cat 2 to the game earlier in the season they've bullied us with their physicality and style.

We just an intense pressing team that allows to try play front-foot football.

18s and 16s/15s playing Newcastle at the ND Academy this afternoon.

 

[Any Time Now]

1-0 thanks to an Osong late goal, thats 9 unbeaten for our U18s now (including 6 wins)