AZ Gull
@SeagullsAcademy @seagullsacademy.bsky.social
This evening, at the training ground, the Brighton and Hove Albion U-23 squad will commence their fifth season in Premier League 2 (under various guises). This time, though, there will be a significant difference: they will be competing in Division One for the very first time, following their promotion, via the play-offs, in May. The manner in which that promotion was achieved was somewhat remarkable, with an extraordinary unbeaten run in the second half of the season; in case you missed it, you can read a review here.
Not only will Albion be in a new division, but their squad will be materially different from 12 months ago. A number of last season’s squad have departed; some have gone out on loan (with, presumably, more to follow); and a number of new recruits have arrived. The plethora of comings and goings are discussed below. There has also been an addition on the coaching front, with newly-retired player Liam Rosenior being appointed as assistant coach to Simon Rusk.
The players must be excited about the chance to pit themselves against the academies from the biggest Premier League clubs. Many of the away fixtures will be played at training grounds and non-league stadia but they will have the opportunity to visit the Emirates and, no less, make history when they face the Tottenham Hotspur U-23s in the first competitive fixture at Spurs’ new stadium on August 27.
Another first presents itself with the entry of the club into the Premier League International Cup competition. Albion have been drawn in the group stages with Everton, Benfica and Bayern Munich (all matches in the competition are played in England). Albion are also entering the Checkatrade Trophy for the third season running and have been drawn against Luton Town, Peterborough and MK Dons.
So, what is the make-up of the squad in 2018-19?
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez made the majority of appearances in goal last season but he has headed out on loan to League Two Forest Green Rovers (where he made his league debut last weekend). Bailey Vose was sold to Colchester United at the end of last season which left local lad Billy Collings as the most senior U-23 custodian. That was until Hugo Keto was signed in July – he had been released by Arsenal after 4 years with the Gunners. New professional Tom McGill, promoted at the end of his scholarship, had a season-long loan to Worthing lined up less than two weeks ago, but that was suddenly cancelled this week after Lucas Covolan decided to stay with the Mackerel Men after failing to land a deal with a football league club.
Full-backs: At right-back, Ales Mateju started half of the matches in 2017-18. He has now joined Brescia on a season-long loan (with a permanent move lined up at the end of the season, according to the Argus). Tyler Hornby-Forbes was released at the end of the last campaign. That leaves Owen Moore as the only recognized specialist right-back in the squad. Midfielder Will Collar, however, is certainly capable of playing in that role.
At left-back, George Cox was ever-present in the league campaign last season. This summer it was rumoured on NSC that he was about to join Bristol Rovers on loan; unfortunately, he had a surgical procedure carried out at the end of July which will certainly prevent his involvement for a while. Joseph Tomlinson was added to the squad in May, signing a one-year contract, after he was released by Yeovil Town following the conclusion of his scholarship. Alex Cochrane has been promoted from the youth team and he is capable of playing on the left either at full-back or in a more advanced position.
Centre-backs: Tom Dallison featured in half of the matches last term, but he moved on to Falkirk once he had helped Albion achieve their promotion objective. Ben Hall made 16 appearances before he joined Notts County on loan for the second half of the campaign. He impressed sufficiently for the Magpies to borrow him for the whole season this time around. Ben Barclay (who missed two-thirds of last season through injury) is available, and spent most of pre-season as a member of the first-team squad. The same applies to Ben White (who spent last season impressing on loan at Newport County). Josh Kerr made 15 appearances last year; Warren O’Hora joined in January but was carrying an injury and his appearances were limited. He has only made a couple of appearances this pre-season and may be struggling again. Leo Ostigard, the Norwegian who was signed on Wednesday, is also a centre-back (and captained the Norwegian U-19 side which last month prevented England, and Max Sanders, from qualifying for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup: BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!).
Central midfield: Steven Alzate formed a very effective central midfield partnership with Max Sanders last season. He won’t this time around as he has joined League Two Swindon Town on a season-long loan. Irishman Des Hutchinson, who typically captained the U-23s when he played, was not retained at the end of the season. Max Sanders is still around, though, and is coming off the back of a breakthrough campaign (becoming a regular starter, taking the captaincy on board, being named as a sub for the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford and finally appearing in all 4 matches for the England U-19s at the Euros last month).
Another Irishman, Danny Mandroiu, has recovered from his injury woes from last term, as has Archie Davies who missed the final 3 months of the year. Will Collar is another who is now back up and running following an injury sustained in December. Mathias Normann could be about to make his debut competitive appearance for the U-23s, but unfortunately Jayson Molumby is not so lucky. On Wednesday this week he had a second operation on his knee in six months, which will undoubtedly rule him out for a good while yet.
Other midfielders: Henrik Bjordal contributed a great deal last season, not least his 13 goals which saw him finish as top scorer for the U-23s. We have seen the last of him though as he was sold to SV Zulte Waregem in June. David Ajiboye didn’t have much of a role but he is another who has departed (and has recently signed for Worthing). Soufyan Ahannach suffered a serious leg break while playing for Sparta Rotterdam in April and there has been no word on the expected timetable for his recovery.
Jordan Davies is one player who can offer some genuine width on the left hand side (as can Alex Cochrane who has already been discussed). However, there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the squad who would be thought of principally as a right-sided winger.
For James Tilley, three years on from his league debut and 12 months on from his first senior goal, it is difficult not to believe that this season will be pivotal to his longer-term Albion ambitions. He set-up Albion’s goal in the pre-season friendly at Charlton but frustratingly had to leave that game through injury shortly thereafter. It would seem that two of the new signings announced this week, Anders Dreyer and Peter Gwargis, operate in the same area of the pitch. We will have to wait and see exactly what each of them brings to the table.
Forwards: Aaron Connolly finished as second top goalscorer last campaign and his goal at Villa Park virtually sealed the deal on promotion. He won the penalty at Wimbledon in the pre-season friendly last month and he will be hungry to earn further first team opportunities. Viktor Gyokeres could hardly have wished for a bigger impact after joining in January; 11 goals in 15 appearances, and netting in 8 straight games, has put his name firmly in the spotlight. He earned himself a berth in the first team squad during pre-season. Both Stefan Ljubicic and Bojan Radulovic had limited opportunity to make an impact last term and will be looking to rectify that this coming season.
To summarise, the U-23 squad (as it stands) that will be hoping to maintain its hard-won first division status this time around consists of:-
GK: Hugo Keto, Billy Collings, Tom McGill.
FB: Owen Moore, George Cox (injured), Joe Tomlinson, Alex Cochrane.
CB: Ben Barclay, Ben White, Josh Kerr, Leo Ostigard, Warren O’Hora (injured?).
MF: Danny Mandroiu, Mathias Normann, Max Sanders, Jayson Molumby (injured), Will Collar, Archie Davies, Jordan Davies, Soufyan Ahannach (injured).
AM: James Tilley, Anders Dreyer, Peter Gwargis.
FW: Viktor Gyokeres, Aaron Connolly, Bojan Radulovic, Stefan Ljubicic.
Out on loan: Robert Sanchez (Forest Green Rovers), Ales Mateju (Brescia), Ben Hall (Notts County), Steven Alzate (Swindon Town).
Sold or released: Bailey Vose, Tyler Hornby-Forbes, Tom Dallison, Des Hutchinson, Henrik Bjordal, David Ajiboye.
Not only will Albion be in a new division, but their squad will be materially different from 12 months ago. A number of last season’s squad have departed; some have gone out on loan (with, presumably, more to follow); and a number of new recruits have arrived. The plethora of comings and goings are discussed below. There has also been an addition on the coaching front, with newly-retired player Liam Rosenior being appointed as assistant coach to Simon Rusk.
The U-23s are put through their paces at their pre-season training camp in Portugal
The players must be excited about the chance to pit themselves against the academies from the biggest Premier League clubs. Many of the away fixtures will be played at training grounds and non-league stadia but they will have the opportunity to visit the Emirates and, no less, make history when they face the Tottenham Hotspur U-23s in the first competitive fixture at Spurs’ new stadium on August 27.
Another first presents itself with the entry of the club into the Premier League International Cup competition. Albion have been drawn in the group stages with Everton, Benfica and Bayern Munich (all matches in the competition are played in England). Albion are also entering the Checkatrade Trophy for the third season running and have been drawn against Luton Town, Peterborough and MK Dons.
So, what is the make-up of the squad in 2018-19?
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez made the majority of appearances in goal last season but he has headed out on loan to League Two Forest Green Rovers (where he made his league debut last weekend). Bailey Vose was sold to Colchester United at the end of last season which left local lad Billy Collings as the most senior U-23 custodian. That was until Hugo Keto was signed in July – he had been released by Arsenal after 4 years with the Gunners. New professional Tom McGill, promoted at the end of his scholarship, had a season-long loan to Worthing lined up less than two weeks ago, but that was suddenly cancelled this week after Lucas Covolan decided to stay with the Mackerel Men after failing to land a deal with a football league club.
Full-backs: At right-back, Ales Mateju started half of the matches in 2017-18. He has now joined Brescia on a season-long loan (with a permanent move lined up at the end of the season, according to the Argus). Tyler Hornby-Forbes was released at the end of the last campaign. That leaves Owen Moore as the only recognized specialist right-back in the squad. Midfielder Will Collar, however, is certainly capable of playing in that role.
At left-back, George Cox was ever-present in the league campaign last season. This summer it was rumoured on NSC that he was about to join Bristol Rovers on loan; unfortunately, he had a surgical procedure carried out at the end of July which will certainly prevent his involvement for a while. Joseph Tomlinson was added to the squad in May, signing a one-year contract, after he was released by Yeovil Town following the conclusion of his scholarship. Alex Cochrane has been promoted from the youth team and he is capable of playing on the left either at full-back or in a more advanced position.
Centre-backs: Tom Dallison featured in half of the matches last term, but he moved on to Falkirk once he had helped Albion achieve their promotion objective. Ben Hall made 16 appearances before he joined Notts County on loan for the second half of the campaign. He impressed sufficiently for the Magpies to borrow him for the whole season this time around. Ben Barclay (who missed two-thirds of last season through injury) is available, and spent most of pre-season as a member of the first-team squad. The same applies to Ben White (who spent last season impressing on loan at Newport County). Josh Kerr made 15 appearances last year; Warren O’Hora joined in January but was carrying an injury and his appearances were limited. He has only made a couple of appearances this pre-season and may be struggling again. Leo Ostigard, the Norwegian who was signed on Wednesday, is also a centre-back (and captained the Norwegian U-19 side which last month prevented England, and Max Sanders, from qualifying for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup: BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!).
Central midfield: Steven Alzate formed a very effective central midfield partnership with Max Sanders last season. He won’t this time around as he has joined League Two Swindon Town on a season-long loan. Irishman Des Hutchinson, who typically captained the U-23s when he played, was not retained at the end of the season. Max Sanders is still around, though, and is coming off the back of a breakthrough campaign (becoming a regular starter, taking the captaincy on board, being named as a sub for the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford and finally appearing in all 4 matches for the England U-19s at the Euros last month).
Another Irishman, Danny Mandroiu, has recovered from his injury woes from last term, as has Archie Davies who missed the final 3 months of the year. Will Collar is another who is now back up and running following an injury sustained in December. Mathias Normann could be about to make his debut competitive appearance for the U-23s, but unfortunately Jayson Molumby is not so lucky. On Wednesday this week he had a second operation on his knee in six months, which will undoubtedly rule him out for a good while yet.
Other midfielders: Henrik Bjordal contributed a great deal last season, not least his 13 goals which saw him finish as top scorer for the U-23s. We have seen the last of him though as he was sold to SV Zulte Waregem in June. David Ajiboye didn’t have much of a role but he is another who has departed (and has recently signed for Worthing). Soufyan Ahannach suffered a serious leg break while playing for Sparta Rotterdam in April and there has been no word on the expected timetable for his recovery.
Jordan Davies is one player who can offer some genuine width on the left hand side (as can Alex Cochrane who has already been discussed). However, there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the squad who would be thought of principally as a right-sided winger.
For James Tilley, three years on from his league debut and 12 months on from his first senior goal, it is difficult not to believe that this season will be pivotal to his longer-term Albion ambitions. He set-up Albion’s goal in the pre-season friendly at Charlton but frustratingly had to leave that game through injury shortly thereafter. It would seem that two of the new signings announced this week, Anders Dreyer and Peter Gwargis, operate in the same area of the pitch. We will have to wait and see exactly what each of them brings to the table.
Forwards: Aaron Connolly finished as second top goalscorer last campaign and his goal at Villa Park virtually sealed the deal on promotion. He won the penalty at Wimbledon in the pre-season friendly last month and he will be hungry to earn further first team opportunities. Viktor Gyokeres could hardly have wished for a bigger impact after joining in January; 11 goals in 15 appearances, and netting in 8 straight games, has put his name firmly in the spotlight. He earned himself a berth in the first team squad during pre-season. Both Stefan Ljubicic and Bojan Radulovic had limited opportunity to make an impact last term and will be looking to rectify that this coming season.
To summarise, the U-23 squad (as it stands) that will be hoping to maintain its hard-won first division status this time around consists of:-
GK: Hugo Keto, Billy Collings, Tom McGill.
FB: Owen Moore, George Cox (injured), Joe Tomlinson, Alex Cochrane.
CB: Ben Barclay, Ben White, Josh Kerr, Leo Ostigard, Warren O’Hora (injured?).
MF: Danny Mandroiu, Mathias Normann, Max Sanders, Jayson Molumby (injured), Will Collar, Archie Davies, Jordan Davies, Soufyan Ahannach (injured).
AM: James Tilley, Anders Dreyer, Peter Gwargis.
FW: Viktor Gyokeres, Aaron Connolly, Bojan Radulovic, Stefan Ljubicic.
Out on loan: Robert Sanchez (Forest Green Rovers), Ales Mateju (Brescia), Ben Hall (Notts County), Steven Alzate (Swindon Town).
Sold or released: Bailey Vose, Tyler Hornby-Forbes, Tom Dallison, Des Hutchinson, Henrik Bjordal, David Ajiboye.
