No. 38 / JUNE 2019 TOUCHLINE TALKS TO DERBY COUNTY'S MAX BIRD FRESH FROM BEING CROWNED THE LFE APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR PLUS EFL AWARDS • LFE COACHES TRIP • ADAM O’REILLY •Touchline LIFE SKILLS June 2019 1 Welcome to brought to you by League Football Education Erasmus+ Player No. 38 / JUNE 2019 WRITTEN BY JACK WYLIE | DESIGN BY ICG Placement Programme Sweden Another crop of former apprentices have been sent YTTERHOGDALS IK FORMER CLUB out to Sweden via LFE’s Erasmus+ Player Placement programme, which sends players out to Scandinavia Jake Davies Burton Albion for three months. Harry Turner Fleetwood Town Around 40 per cent of players have gained professional contracts following the initial placement Liam Collings Fleetwood Town period since the scheme began in 2008, with 19 youngsters making the switch to foreign soil on GOTTNE IF FORMER CLUB 2019 this occasion. Ciaran Gordon-Stearn Luton Town Apprentices past and present received recognition Progression Graham Bryan Oxford United in various categories at the 2019 EFL Awards. Guides Mwiya Malumo Wigan Athletic LFE APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR For those thinking about Max Bird (Derby County) going to University or heading out to the BODENS BK FORMER CLUB LFE LEAGUE ONE APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR United States on a Soccer Craig Thordarson Blackpool Dan Adshead (Rochdale AFC) Scholarship, LFE’s ‘Higher Education Guide’ and ‘Guide LFE LEAGUE TWO APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR IFK OSTERSUND FORMER CLUB Arthur Iontton (Stevenage FC) to American Scholarships’ provide extensive information Sam Tingle Barnsley EA SPORTS YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON on application processes, Theo White Gillingham Max Aarons (Norwich City) entry requirements and SIR TOM FINNEY AWARD include accounts from former apprentices regarding their IFK MORA FORMER CLUB Joe Thompson (formerly of Rochdale AFC) experiences. Lewis Clayton Cheltenham Town PFA PLAYER IN THE COMMUNITY www.lfe.org.uk/downloads/ George Keys Colchester United Will Vaulks (formerly of Tranmere Rovers) apprentice-downloads PFA LEAGUE TWO PLAYER IN THE COMMUNITY Adao Manuel Crewe Alexandra Dan Butler (formerly of Portsmouth) Bilal Sesay Grimsby Town FOOTBALL MANAGER TEAM OF THE SEASON Matt Mayes Portsmouth Max Aarons (Norwich City) Liam Cooper (formerly of Hull City) IFK HOLMSUND FORMER CLUB Krystian Pearce (formerly of Birmingham City) Lanre Balogun Dagenham & Redbridge James Justin (Luton Town) Alex Mowatt (formerly of Leeds United) Sam Salis Dagenham & Redbridge Ty-Rhys Paul-Jones Grimsby Town ESKILSTUNA CITY FORMER CLUB Mekhi Hyde Dagenham & Redbridge LFE is supported by: Leroy Hlabi Gillingham 2 June 2019 Touchline Touchline June 2019 3 U18 Professional Development League North U18 Premier League South Academy Leagues Sheffield Wednesday enjoyed a terrific end to the Norwich City may have finished bottom of the season as they produced a double success, leading the Southern section, but they did manage a couple Round-Up way in the North before claiming the National crown of positive results in March as Anis Mehmeti and following a nail-biting 3-2 victory over Cardiff City. Under-16 player Thomas Dickson-Peters both doubled The young Owls sealed the regular season title up during a 5-0 victory over Aston Villa, while the North East Division Southern Merit League One against their arch-rivals Sheffield United, with Conor Canaries then held 2017-18 National champions Mansfield Town’s three-year supremacy at the summit Southend United’s Under-18s made history by becoming Grant’s spot-kick earning a 1-1 draw, meaning their Chelsea to a goalless draw. of the North East section came to an end in May the club’s first Southern Merit League One winners, commanding goal difference advantage saw off the Villa endured a difficult 2019, with just 11 points from a after Grimsby Town sealed silverware in a dramatic finishing three points clear of the chasing pack. challenge of defending champions Leeds United. possible 33 – a run that saw them fall to sixth position. season finale. The Shrimpers secured the crown with an impressive Wednesday’s first-year apprentice Charles Hagan Aaron Pressley’s opening minute strike against 4-1 win against Portsmouth having fielded their Doncaster Rovers appeared to be heading for the title completed the season as the leading goalscorer in Leicester City contributed to them finishing above the exciting three-pronged strike force of Charlie Kelman, when they overcame the Mariners 3-0 at the end of the region with 15 strikes, including the opener in Foxes on goal difference, with the Villains also seeing Freddy Eastwood and Matt Rush. Kelman struck his March, with 26-goal striker Rieves Boocock bagging the National final. off fourth-placed Southampton 3-1. a hat-trick. 19th youth team goal of the season and Eastwood bagged a brace to take his tally to 17, while Rush was Elsewhere, third-placed Nottingham Forest slipped Elsewhere, Fulham were another team to struggle But they gifted away top spot on the final day after also on the scoresheet to top the trio with 23. away at the turn of the year, but did have cause for down the stretch, although they did play out an suffering a 2-1 defeat to Notts County, while Neil Swindon Town had been contenders heading into the optimism in April when they thumped Coventry exciting encounter with Chelsea as second-year Woods’ Grimsby edged a 1-0 win against Lincoln City final game, but were beaten 3-0 by South West regular City 7-1 as Will Swan and Keith Asare both grabbed striker Timmy Abraham scored twice in a 4-3 defeat. thanks to first-year apprentice Lennon Stead, who season champions Oxford United, with both sides hat-tricks. broke the deadlock in the 94th minute after keeper ending on 20 points. Ollie Battersby had earlier saved a penalty. U18 Professional Development League South However, they were both trumped by AFC County were also responsible for pushing third-placed Wimbledon, who sealed the runners-up spot on A poor run of two defeats and a draw to close out Bradford City out of contention as they triumphed 4-1 goal difference, with their only defeat of the Merit the season proved costly for Ipswich Town as they in April, with the Bantams completing the campaign League phase coming in April against the eventual missed out on the Southern title on goal difference three points adrift. pacesetters. to Cardiff City. North West Division The Tractor Boys triumphed home and away, with Southern Merit League Two Lounes Foudil scoring in both 2-1 wins, but 4-0 defeats Wigan Athletic proved to be almost unstoppable this It was a bizarre conclusion to Southern Merit League to both Sheffield clubs and a 1-1 stalemate with Crystal season as they claimed an unprecedented treble, Two as Forest Green Rovers and Plymouth Argyle were Palace allowed the Bluebirds to snatch top spot. winning the North West division, EFL Youth Alliance forced to share the honours after registering the same Cup and Lancashire FA Youth Cup. points, goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head Millwall were also in the running for the majority of the season, but suffered a similar drop in form, going The Latics boasted the best defensive record in the record. four games without a win after beating fourth-placed region and scored the most goals too, led by prolific The Pilgrims had held an outright lead until losing their Queens Park Rangers 6-1 in March, with Harry Taylor striker Charlie Jolley, who notched over 40 goals in all penultimate game 1-0 to third-placed Bristol Rovers, and Sean O’Brien both netting three each. competitions this season. while Forest Green cruised past Cambridge United 4-0 Peter Murphy’s talented youngsters remained to set up a grandstand finish. U18 Premier League North unbeaten in the league until the middle of April, Argyle set down the marker with an incredible 9-1 It was a magnificent campaign for Derby County’s having already wrapped up the title with a 2-0 victory victory over Newport County, but Rovers responded starlets as they finished above Academy powerhouses over Bury thanks to a double from 17-year-old the following day with a 7-3 conquest over 2018 like Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City and Mackenzie O’Neill. winners Leyton Orient, with Sam Hendy and Dan Jones Manchester United to top the Northern table. netting twice each before 16-year-old Ethan Hill struck Their closest challengers were last year’s champions the crucial seventh late on. Rochdale AFC, although they were 11 points behind The Rams recorded 10 successive victories between the runaway leaders, while Preston North End – one of It marks an impressive turnaround for Forest Green, who November and March to climb into the lead before just two teams to beat Wigan - were third. were rooted to the bottom of the table last season. eventually overcoming Liverpool on goal difference. Significantly, Justin Walker’s team won both matches against their nearest challengers, with England youth international Morgan Whittaker scoring three of his 19 league goals against the Merseysiders. They then capped things off with National glory by defeating Southern champions Arsenal 5-2 thanks to a hat-trick from first-year apprentice Archie Brown. Elsewhere, Blackburn Rovers won five of their last six matches to rise a point above Man City in seventh, with James Connolly finding the net four times in successive victories against Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-0), Sunderland (4-1) and Newcastle United (6-1). 4 June 2019 Touchline Touchline June 2019 5 EFL Awards 2019 LFE Apprentice of the Year DERBY COUNTY’S MAX BIRD HAS MADE HIMSELF THE BENCHMARK FOR YOUNG FOOTBALLERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY From a selection of almost 1,200 Academy players, “When you’re at home, you’re not thinking about the 18-year-old was the standout candidate to receive football all the time.