2024 has been successful year for our Academy; one in which we’ve seen many of our young players rise through the ranks to establish themselves within the senior squad.
The Professional Development Phase were put in good stead heading into the new season as the group spent three days being put through their paces at the RAF Wittering camp (pictured below). Academy Director Dan Robinson said the experience “not only helped the physical aspect of our player development and preparation for the new campaign, but also team building and the mental strength that is required”.
Standout performances this term has seen Under 18s doublet Lucca Mendonca and Eddie Fox rewarded with the opportunity to travel with the first team for their respective fixtures at Newport County (FA Cup) and Stockport County (Sky Bet League One). In addition to their club commitments, Milan Kovaci (Albania) and Ignas Sakalas (Lithuania) were rewarded with international call-ups at either end of the year.
Pre-season proved to be a success for the Under 21s group, with Donay O’Brien-Brady, Harley Mills, James Dornelly and Ollie Rose all enjoying a trip away to Spain with the first team. Back at base, Tyler Young and Bastian Smith joined the Under 21s set-up over the summer, while Ma’kel Campbell also penned a deal to strengthen midfield options.
Defender Jensen Sumnall would also make the switch to the Professional Development Phase following his departure from West Bromwich Albion – featuring for the first team during the pre-season programme where he found the net in the win over Stamford.
The group would grow accustomed to senior squad appearances this term, following on from Pemi Aderoju who made his debut against Wycombe Wanderers in the early part of the year. O’Brien-Brady was the inaugural player to make a first team appearance this campaign, featuring in the 2-0 loss to Huddersfield Town on opening day. The midfield-man has since made 13 league appearances, scoring his first senior goal for the club in the 2-1 victory over Stevenage Town in October (pictured below). His second contribution came in the 6-1 triumph over local rivals Cambridge United, where he came on as a substitute to set up Kwame Poku’s hat-trick. Rose was soon to follow, recording his first senior appearance at Gillingham a few weeks later in that 2-1 win at Priestfield Stadium.
While Mills made his first team debut in the 2-0 loss to Cheltenham Town in the back end of last season, his impressive performances for the Under 21s of late has seen the full-back make five first team appearances across December. David Kamara then joined summer signing Tyler Young in making his first team debut in the 2-0 win against Stevenage in the group phase of the now-Vertu Trophy.
Academy graduate James Dornelly has carved out a reputation with both club and country this season – amassing 18 appearances in all competitions. This came after a successful spell with the first team last term, during which he celebrated trophy success at Wembley alongside fellow Academy graduate Harrison Burrows – who has since secured a move to Championship side Sheffield United. Dornelly netted his first senior goal in the 3-3 draw with Rotherham in October before receiving a first call-up to the England Men’s Elite Squad one month later (pictured below).
The full-back impressed off the bench on his international debut in the 4-0 victory over Chesterfield, with interim Head Coach Paul Nevin rewarding the 19-year-old with his first start in Poland just four days later.
Academy Director Dan Robinson said: “The past 12 months have been a great success for our Academy. We have seen excellent progress across all age groups, and the Academy as a whole has achieved so much across the year – particularly the international recognition which will always remain a fantastic achievement for the club.
“The Academy staff have worked tremendously hard all year around and we’re so proud to see our young players strive towards their goals and we are looking forward to seeing their development over the coming years and continue supporting the first team.”
The club wishes to thank everyone involved with the Academy for their efforts across a very successful year.