AZ Gull
@SeagullsAcademy @seagullsacademy.bsky.social
As the U-18 season reaches a natural pause before it re-commences, this is an opportune time to take a look at how the Albion youth team has performed to date.
Albion are competing in the Barclays U-18 Premier League for the second season running. The 24 Category One academies are split into two divisions, North and South, of 12 teams each. There is no promotion or relegation at U-18 level. Teams play each other at home and away to create a 22-match league campaign (which has just been completed). Albion finished 9th in the South division, with a record of
P:22 W:6 D:4 L:12 F:32 A:51 PTS:22
Albion's biggest win was a 6-0 hammering of new boys Swansea City (who replaced Bolton after the Trotters withdrew from the competition). Albion also won at then-leaders Reading in September and beat Tottenham in October. It was a tough start to the season, conceding 21 goals in the first 6 matches.
The top 4 teams from each division now play-off against each other in a 7-game mini-league. The same applies for the teams that finished between 5th and 8th, and 9th and 12th. Albion will play-off against the teams that finished beneath them (Norwich, Southampton and Swansea) and the bottom 4 teams from the North (Newcastle, Derby, Manchester United and Stoke).
Albion had two ever-presents in the squad: second year left-back George Cox and first year midfielder Archie Davies. First year Max Sanders missed just one game, making 21 starts.
Albion’s top goalscorer in the league was Jordan Maguire-Drew with 14 goals (in 14 appearances), only 1 behind the leading scorers in the South (Leicester’s Admiral Muskwe and Chelsea’s Ike Ugbo). Thomas Byrne scored 5 goals and four other players scored 2 apiece.
Review by position (the following analysis looks at the league campaign only):
Goalkeepers: Robert Lynch Sanchez had the majority of starts with 14. Prone to error at the start of the season, he has undoubtedly improved. He joined Albion in the summer of 2014 but didn’t play at all for the U-18s/U-21s last season due to issues with international clearance. Bailey Vose started the other 8 games; he also had a two-month loan spell playing for the first team at Whyteleafe where he made a very favourable impression. First year scholar George Hobbs has not yet made an appearance.
Defenders: Owen Moore had 14 starts at right-back, but missed a month with injury. In his place, U-16 Hamish Morrison made 7 appearances (and he has just made his international debut for Scotland at U-17 level).
At centre-back, Danny Barker made 18 starts (and was sent-off once). Barker was actually released by Albion last season; he had a trial at Stoke and played for the Whitehawk youth team with his twin brother. He was then given a second chance by Albion but came into the season without a scholarship; he finally earned it the day after the FA Youth Cup defeat at Nottm Forest. Thomas Cadman made 9 starts (he had broken into the Republic of Ireland U-19 side but suffered a dislocated elbow against Spurs in October which kept him out for 9 weeks). U-16 Sam Rolph made 7 starts; Ben White 6 (another who has had his season heavily disrupted by injury); the tall American Sam Golan started 3 matches and U-16 Matt Boiling 1.
As previously indicated, George Cox started all 22 matches at left-back (and contributed 1 goal). Cox is another player who was originally released by Albion during his U-16 year but was given another chance and earned his scholarship in September 2014.
Midfielders: Archie Davies was ever-present in the middle (and scored 2 goals). Second year Remi Meyers started 17 games, scored a goal and had a sending-off. First year Max Sanders made 21 starts, adding one goal. Danny Mandroiu started 12 matches and scored twice, with his fellow first year Luis Garcia making 10 starts and also netting 2 goals. Rian O’Sullivan started 6 matches on the left (he picked up a hamstring injury playing for the Irish U-17 side in September, returned, but has been out with another injury since early December). His fellow Irish first year Jayson Molumby made only 1 sub appearance and 1 start before being promoted to the Albion U-21 side. U-16s Alex Cochrane, Isaac Hutchinson, Charles Ferguson and Tommy Block all made sub appearances.
Forwards: Second year (and captain) Jordan Maguire-Drew was the stand-out attacking player with 14 goals in only 14 appearances. Unfortunately he tore an ankle ligament, causing him to miss 6 weeks in October/November, and is now out injured once again. Irish first year Thomas Byrne made 18 appearances (12 starts) and scored 5 goals. Reece Meekums made 13 appearances but missed 10 weeks in the middle of the season; David Ajiboye has scored 2 goals in 6 appearances but missed five months with injury and has only just returned. James Tilley made only 3 appearances, having been promoted to the U-21s, and U-15 Danny Cashman made 2 sub appearances (he has scored 40 goals at U-15/U-16 level this season and was capped by England at U-15 level).
Schoolboys: Eight schoolboys made appearances in the initial league campaign; seven U-16s and one U-15 (Danny Cashman). Of the U-16s, Sam Rolph, Isaac Hutchinson, Charles Ferguson, Hamish Morrison and Alex Cochrane have all earned scholarships at Albion to commence next season. Matt Boiling has been released (but he has secured a scholarship at Colchester); Tommy Block has also been released and has trialed at Colchester, Swansea and Hull.
As mentioned, a number of the scholars have received international honours during the season so far. Molumby, O’Sullivan and Byrne have been called up by the Republic of Ireland for two U-17 friendly matches against Switzerland next week.
Albion begin their 7-match play-off schedule on Saturday when they travel to Norwich to face what is likely to be a very youthful side (the Canaries play Man City in an FA Youth Cup quarter-final tie on Monday).
Albion are competing in the Barclays U-18 Premier League for the second season running. The 24 Category One academies are split into two divisions, North and South, of 12 teams each. There is no promotion or relegation at U-18 level. Teams play each other at home and away to create a 22-match league campaign (which has just been completed). Albion finished 9th in the South division, with a record of
P:22 W:6 D:4 L:12 F:32 A:51 PTS:22
Albion's biggest win was a 6-0 hammering of new boys Swansea City (who replaced Bolton after the Trotters withdrew from the competition). Albion also won at then-leaders Reading in September and beat Tottenham in October. It was a tough start to the season, conceding 21 goals in the first 6 matches.
The top 4 teams from each division now play-off against each other in a 7-game mini-league. The same applies for the teams that finished between 5th and 8th, and 9th and 12th. Albion will play-off against the teams that finished beneath them (Norwich, Southampton and Swansea) and the bottom 4 teams from the North (Newcastle, Derby, Manchester United and Stoke).
Albion had two ever-presents in the squad: second year left-back George Cox and first year midfielder Archie Davies. First year Max Sanders missed just one game, making 21 starts.
Albion’s top goalscorer in the league was Jordan Maguire-Drew with 14 goals (in 14 appearances), only 1 behind the leading scorers in the South (Leicester’s Admiral Muskwe and Chelsea’s Ike Ugbo). Thomas Byrne scored 5 goals and four other players scored 2 apiece.
Review by position (the following analysis looks at the league campaign only):
Goalkeepers: Robert Lynch Sanchez had the majority of starts with 14. Prone to error at the start of the season, he has undoubtedly improved. He joined Albion in the summer of 2014 but didn’t play at all for the U-18s/U-21s last season due to issues with international clearance. Bailey Vose started the other 8 games; he also had a two-month loan spell playing for the first team at Whyteleafe where he made a very favourable impression. First year scholar George Hobbs has not yet made an appearance.
Defenders: Owen Moore had 14 starts at right-back, but missed a month with injury. In his place, U-16 Hamish Morrison made 7 appearances (and he has just made his international debut for Scotland at U-17 level).
At centre-back, Danny Barker made 18 starts (and was sent-off once). Barker was actually released by Albion last season; he had a trial at Stoke and played for the Whitehawk youth team with his twin brother. He was then given a second chance by Albion but came into the season without a scholarship; he finally earned it the day after the FA Youth Cup defeat at Nottm Forest. Thomas Cadman made 9 starts (he had broken into the Republic of Ireland U-19 side but suffered a dislocated elbow against Spurs in October which kept him out for 9 weeks). U-16 Sam Rolph made 7 starts; Ben White 6 (another who has had his season heavily disrupted by injury); the tall American Sam Golan started 3 matches and U-16 Matt Boiling 1.
As previously indicated, George Cox started all 22 matches at left-back (and contributed 1 goal). Cox is another player who was originally released by Albion during his U-16 year but was given another chance and earned his scholarship in September 2014.
Midfielders: Archie Davies was ever-present in the middle (and scored 2 goals). Second year Remi Meyers started 17 games, scored a goal and had a sending-off. First year Max Sanders made 21 starts, adding one goal. Danny Mandroiu started 12 matches and scored twice, with his fellow first year Luis Garcia making 10 starts and also netting 2 goals. Rian O’Sullivan started 6 matches on the left (he picked up a hamstring injury playing for the Irish U-17 side in September, returned, but has been out with another injury since early December). His fellow Irish first year Jayson Molumby made only 1 sub appearance and 1 start before being promoted to the Albion U-21 side. U-16s Alex Cochrane, Isaac Hutchinson, Charles Ferguson and Tommy Block all made sub appearances.
Forwards: Second year (and captain) Jordan Maguire-Drew was the stand-out attacking player with 14 goals in only 14 appearances. Unfortunately he tore an ankle ligament, causing him to miss 6 weeks in October/November, and is now out injured once again. Irish first year Thomas Byrne made 18 appearances (12 starts) and scored 5 goals. Reece Meekums made 13 appearances but missed 10 weeks in the middle of the season; David Ajiboye has scored 2 goals in 6 appearances but missed five months with injury and has only just returned. James Tilley made only 3 appearances, having been promoted to the U-21s, and U-15 Danny Cashman made 2 sub appearances (he has scored 40 goals at U-15/U-16 level this season and was capped by England at U-15 level).
Schoolboys: Eight schoolboys made appearances in the initial league campaign; seven U-16s and one U-15 (Danny Cashman). Of the U-16s, Sam Rolph, Isaac Hutchinson, Charles Ferguson, Hamish Morrison and Alex Cochrane have all earned scholarships at Albion to commence next season. Matt Boiling has been released (but he has secured a scholarship at Colchester); Tommy Block has also been released and has trialed at Colchester, Swansea and Hull.
As mentioned, a number of the scholars have received international honours during the season so far. Molumby, O’Sullivan and Byrne have been called up by the Republic of Ireland for two U-17 friendly matches against Switzerland next week.
Albion begin their 7-match play-off schedule on Saturday when they travel to Norwich to face what is likely to be a very youthful side (the Canaries play Man City in an FA Youth Cup quarter-final tie on Monday).
