REWARDING TWO MONTHS
It has been a rewarding two months for us in the youth department.
Last month our under 16s were crowned champions in Le Portel and last week (Thursday 1st - Saturday 3rd May) our under 15s quite comfortably won the Norhalne Cup. Both tournaments are of a very high standard, boasting professional clubs from all over Europe.
In the previous two years we have achieved 3rd place in Norhalne, Denmark and second place in le Portel, France, but this year we have won both. Is this an indication of our success? Our improvement? Only time will tell, all I know is the team I have just taken away were so exciting and seem to have so much potential.
The squad were as follows:
Tom Warren: Under 14 goalkeeper. 6ft tall, powerful, excellent kicking, confident on crosses and comfortable in playing out. A big thank you must go to Terry Mason and Simon Cox for all their hard work with Tom in the last 12 months because the improvement he has made is huge. Tom's dedication is second to none and this has been rewarded in Ricky Duncan inviting him to train with the youth team pre-season. For a boy of this age this is a great honour.
Nathan Simpson: Under 15 right back. Our most recent signing, Nathan was with Arsenal all last year and was recommended to me when he left via Lester Thomas. Nathan has all the assets of a modern day full back. In the 15 games he has played for us, I have never seen him get beaten 1v1. Very composed on the ball.
Kane Ferdinand: Under 15 centre back. Kane has been with us two years now. His performance in Denmark showed a confident and assertive centre back, who has a nice range of long passes.
Kieron Harris: Under 15 centre back. Scored four goals in six games. Physically a similar size to Patrick Vieira. Technically very comfortable, can play centre back or centre midfield, Kieron is an exciting prospect. A big thank you must go to Dan Godfrey for recommending this player.
Louis Baucutt: Under 14 left back. Some players really struggle when being asked to play in an older age group, but not Louis. He performed so well. Defensively very strong and a real threat from set pieces. A player that could handle under 16 football next year with no problem. A big thank you must go to Simon Cox for finding this player.
Teddy Nesbitt: Under 15 left back/left midfield. Teddy is six weeks off being an under 14. He has spent long periods at Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham. However, due to injury and growth he did not settle. A fantastic recent signing and again recommended by Lester Thomas. He is quick, scores goals, very good delivery from wide areas and has good understanding of the game.
James Stevens: Under 15 centre midfield/captain. The free kick, corner and penalty taker. His quality on a consistent basis for a boy of his age is superb. We scored so many goals on this tour either from him or assisted by him. An excellent captain, who spent six years at West Ham before joining us.
George Smith: Under 15 centre midfield. Spent six years at Tottenham. When leaving he was recommended to me by Trevor Bailey of Interwood. George is a tidy and intelligent little midfield player with excellent awareness.
Femi Orenuga: Under 15 wide right. The best/most exciting player in the tournament? Well, the Brondby, Husie and Histon coaches certainly thought so. When we beat Tsv from Finland to win the tournament their coach came up to me and said 'if I had enough money I would buy your number 7'. A player who is so quick and agile when on the ball. In this tournament there was only one way to stop him and that was to foul him!
Micheal Ngoo: Under 15 centre forward. Micheal is 6ft 3" and a perfect lone striker. Another new signing who again has been recommended by Lester Thomas. Good in the air and excellent outside the box in regards to link-up and awareness of runners.
Julian Okai: Under 15 wide left/centre forward. Has already played in the youth team. Took his goals very well on the tour. Has a lovely left foot and is a local boy with a great mentality.
Ryan Auger: Under 14 full back. Jack Paxman: Under 14 midfield. Mitchell Seymour: Under 14 centre back. A great experience for these three boys who all showed positive signs throughout the tournament. Will all feature heavily next weekend in Lille and at the end of the month in Holland when they're playing in their own age group.
Our results were
Game One - 0.0 v Brondby, Denmark
Game Two - 2-1 v Halmsted, Sweden
Game Three - 9-1 v NCL, Holland
Game Four - 3.0 v Husie, Sweden
Game Five - 4.0 v Histon, England
Game Six - 2.0 v TSV, Finland
A fantastic tour, where the boys have done the club proud. They are learning many things, including to have the ability to win.
Regards
Luke Hobbs
Centre of Excellence Manager
