AZ Gull
@SeagullsAcademy @seagullsacademy.bsky.social
Albion U-18s have reached the fifth round of the prestigious FA Youth Cup for the first time since the 2005-06 season and tonight they face Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium, kick-off 7pm. Stoke City's U-18 side are managed by Kevin Russell ("Rooster"), who older NSCers will remember as a forward/midfielder for the likes of Wrexham, Leicester, Stoke and Burnley. What may not be so well-known is that Russell himself is a product of the Albion youth system; originally from Portsmouth, he joined the Albion at age 15 and started his apprenticeship in the 1983-84 season. He was offered a professional contract for the following campaign, earned a number of caps at England U-18 level but was then released by the club in October 1984 as financial problems began to hit.
Albion have progressed to this stage of the competition after two 2-0 home victories over Derby County and Cambridge United. I posted information on the members of the squad in the thread for the Cambridge United tie; there is no point in replicating that here, but I think it is worth giving a little more detail about Albion's Sussex-born captain (and centre-half) Danny Barker. Under slightly different circumstances, he could well have been playing for the hosts in tonight's tie....
Photo credit: Mike Dinsdale
Barker is a local lad and has always supported the club. He joined Albion at U-10 level after an unsuccessful trial a year earlier. He attended Hove Park School and was a member of the school U-13 side that reached the final of the ESFA National Cup in May 2012, losing 5-2 to Sandwell Academy at the Hawthorns. One of Barker's teammates that day was Charlie Gilmour, who is now a professional at Arsenal. Two of Sandwell's goals were scored by Jonathan Leko who is now a Premier League player at WBA.
Two years later Barker helped Albion U-15s become national champions as they defeated Derby, Crewe and Brentford at Warwick University to win the Premier League Academy Category Two Final. However, a year later he was released by Albion during his U-16 schoolboy season. He had a trial at Stoke City and then played with his twin Billy for the Whitehawk youth team (Billy, incidentally, was put on a first team contract by the Hawks just a few weeks ago). However, Danny was given a second chance by Albion and he made his debut for the U-18 side in the final match of the 2014-15 season (an 8-0 thrashing at Wolves!).
He started last season as a member of the U-18 squad but wasn't offered a scholarship. However, he was virtually ever-present through the first half of the campaign and finally earned his coveted scholarship the day after Albion's unlucky defeat to Nottingham Forest on penalties in the 3rd round of the FA Youth Cup in December 2015. This season, in October, he was officially recognised by the LFE (the body that manages the educational programme for apprentices at Football League clubs) for being a "model apprentice".
Barker started this season in his regular centre-back position but after the first month he was pushed forward into a midfield role. However, with Albion experiencing issues in the middle of defence this campaign, he has reverted to centre-back for the FA Youth Cup ties where he has partnered Owen Moore (who is usually a right-back). As he captains the young Seagulls in tonight's eagerly-anticipated tie he'll be hoping to lead the team into the quarter-finals, as he also hopes to have impressed sufficiently to earn himself a coveted professional contract.
Albion have progressed to this stage of the competition after two 2-0 home victories over Derby County and Cambridge United. I posted information on the members of the squad in the thread for the Cambridge United tie; there is no point in replicating that here, but I think it is worth giving a little more detail about Albion's Sussex-born captain (and centre-half) Danny Barker. Under slightly different circumstances, he could well have been playing for the hosts in tonight's tie....
Photo credit: Mike Dinsdale
Barker is a local lad and has always supported the club. He joined Albion at U-10 level after an unsuccessful trial a year earlier. He attended Hove Park School and was a member of the school U-13 side that reached the final of the ESFA National Cup in May 2012, losing 5-2 to Sandwell Academy at the Hawthorns. One of Barker's teammates that day was Charlie Gilmour, who is now a professional at Arsenal. Two of Sandwell's goals were scored by Jonathan Leko who is now a Premier League player at WBA.
Two years later Barker helped Albion U-15s become national champions as they defeated Derby, Crewe and Brentford at Warwick University to win the Premier League Academy Category Two Final. However, a year later he was released by Albion during his U-16 schoolboy season. He had a trial at Stoke City and then played with his twin Billy for the Whitehawk youth team (Billy, incidentally, was put on a first team contract by the Hawks just a few weeks ago). However, Danny was given a second chance by Albion and he made his debut for the U-18 side in the final match of the 2014-15 season (an 8-0 thrashing at Wolves!).
He started last season as a member of the U-18 squad but wasn't offered a scholarship. However, he was virtually ever-present through the first half of the campaign and finally earned his coveted scholarship the day after Albion's unlucky defeat to Nottingham Forest on penalties in the 3rd round of the FA Youth Cup in December 2015. This season, in October, he was officially recognised by the LFE (the body that manages the educational programme for apprentices at Football League clubs) for being a "model apprentice".
Barker started this season in his regular centre-back position but after the first month he was pushed forward into a midfield role. However, with Albion experiencing issues in the middle of defence this campaign, he has reverted to centre-back for the FA Youth Cup ties where he has partnered Owen Moore (who is usually a right-back). As he captains the young Seagulls in tonight's eagerly-anticipated tie he'll be hoping to lead the team into the quarter-finals, as he also hopes to have impressed sufficiently to earn himself a coveted professional contract.
