Youth 2023/24

[denzel]

If Diabate joins Hartridge in leaving. I can’t see anyone replacing them from the first year pros and other youth players as James seems pretty up and down. I assume we’ll look at bringing in a CB.

We seem to have a glut of CMs coming through in O’Connor, Borges, Cummins, Richards, Billington (if he recovers well) etc. to cover Kite’s (expected) departure.

Blimey I'd forgotten about Cummins. Is he injured, or just not able to play for the youth?

 

[ryancooper327]

Blimey I'd forgotten about Cummins. Is he injured, or just not able to play for the youth?

He’s at Mousehole I think!

 

[Nigel E]

He’s at Mousehole I think!

Yes, always in the starting line up I think

 

[ryancooper327]

A few commenters on the Reading matchday thread and a couple on the Crediton thread suggesting the academy talent train is running out of steam.
To give a comparison to the past here is a list of players produced by the academy shown in the season they would normally have been signed as first year pro’s after 2 seasons as trainees or scholars.
Some players such as Ampadu and Stansfield left the club before signing pro contracts (or even being scholars). Some such as Cox and Lee signed their first pro contracts early.
I think this shows how successful the under 18’s have been as a team has little bearing on how many breakthrough to have successful careers

+++ = players who left the club before signing pro contracts.
* = signed contract early.

2011/12
Tom Nichols
Jake Gosling

2012/13
Jordan Moore-Taylor
Jamie Reid
Jacob Jagger Cane
Jake Wannell
Jamie Micklewright

2013/14
Matt Grimes
Christy Pym

2014/15
Ollie Watkins
Sean Goss +++
Matt Jay
Jason Pope
Connor Riley-Lowe

2015/16
Alex Byrne
Josh Read

2016/17
Jordan Storey
Kyle Egan
Nick Grimes

2017/18
Archie Collins
Alex Hartridge
Ben Seymour
Max Smallcombe
Lewis Williams
Felix Norman

2018/19
Joel Randall *
Josh Key *
Harry Kite *
Jack Sparkes *
Will Dean

2019/20
Ethan Ampadu +++
Jack Stafford +++
Jordan Dyer
James Dodd
Theo Simpson

2020/21
Jay Stansfield +++
Cheick Diabate
Louis Morison
Lewis Wilson
Nelson Iseguan
Michael Lilley

2021/22
Jack Arthur
Jack Veale
Ellis Johnson

2022/23
Ben Chrisene +++
Alfie Pond

2023/24
Sonny Cox *
Harry Lee *
Pedro Borges
Mitch Beardmore
Joe O’Connor
Gabe Billington
Harrison King

2024/25
Max Edgecombe *

Coming back to this. Really shows the glut 2017-19 and how a few from more recent years were prized away before making the first team.

Also shows the timeframe from year group to 1st team. On Instagram, Hartridge said 2021/22 was his first ‘proper’ season (not a bad one either!).

 

[SEA Grecian]

Coming back to this. Really shows the glut 2017-19 and how a few from more recent years were prized away before making the first team.

Also shows the timeframe from year group to 1st team. On Instagram, Hartridge said 2021/22 was his first ‘proper’ season (not a bad one either!).

What is almost even more remarkable than the glut itself is that 4 of those players born within a couple of years of each other, Hartridge, Key, Collins Sparkes, stuck around long enough to play over 100 games for the club. Add in the two who went for big money before they played many games, Randall and Ampadu, and the two who played 50 games, Kite and Seymour, and it highlights, yet again, what a remarkable group of players they were.

 

[Rosencrantz]

It also shows how we still need to show patience with the current crop. The effect Sonny has had on this season breaking into the first team makes him an exception rather than a rule. One thing this club has showed is patience in giving young players they rate the time to produce.

 

[ryancooper327]

Cambridge released news on their youth departures today. Maybe we’ll get some news soon, tends to come before season end.

On a related note, we should try pick up Kai Yearn, promising attacking midfielder let go by them.

 

[Rosencrantz]

Cambridge released news on their youth departures today. Maybe we’ll get some news soon, tends to come before season end.

On a related note, we should try pick up Kai Yearn, promising attacking midfielder let go by them.

Is he better than Alfie Cunningham?

 

[Super Ronnie Jepson]

Coming back to this. Really shows the glut 2017-19 and how a few from more recent years were prized away before making the first team.

If you cut out all the players never made much impact here and leave only those that did AND those that moved upwards before they had a chance then there's a more even spread.

2011/12
Tom Nichols

2012/13
Jordan Moore-Taylor

2013/14
Matt Grimes
Christy Pym

2014/15
Ollie Watkins
Sean Goss +++
Matt Jay

2015/16
None

2016/17
Jordan Storey

2017/18
Archie Collins
Alex Hartridge

2018/19
Joel Randall *
Josh Key *
Harry Kite *
Jack Sparkes *

2019/20
Ethan Ampadu +++

2020/21
Jay Stansfield +++
Cheick Diabate

2021/22
None

2022/23
Ben Chrisene +++
Alfie Pond

The three seasons from 2012/13 to 2014/15 with 6 players was almost as productive as the three seasons from 2016/17 to to 2018/19 with seven.

These things go in cycles.

 

[ryancooper327]

Is he better than Alfie Cunningham?

GC plays two attacking midfielders, they can both play