Academy Manager, Damien Allen’s January update
It has been a fantastic start to the new year for many of our young players and students. We have had plenty of competitive fixtures for all our squads. This past week we had 11 players from the Academy playing first team football for Stockport County and Stockport Town. With both sides producing winning performances. We also have several other academy players who are playing regular first team football at various clubs in the region. They are gaining valuable experience at just 16, 17, and 18 years old. This will help them as they aim to transition from a youth player to a first team player in the next 12 months.
I would also like to thank Matt Jansen for his work at Stockport Town. In such a short period he has put together a strong squad that has a lot of potential. This good work will be built upon by new player manager Paul Turnbull with the support of our lead U19 coach Mike Jeffries. The first two games have produced two wins, ten goals for and only one against. The academy players involved have performed extremely well scoring five of those goals. I wish them both the best of luck for the remainder of the season.
The junior academy is continuing to have success due to all the hard work and commitment that is being put in. Our teams are competing in an age group up at most age groups which is providing them with the challenge they require. U11 coach Jordan Robinson and U12 coach Joe Lally have done a fantastic job developing their players. Both squads also reached the national Cup finals. The U11s were eventual winners and the U12s narrowly lost in their respective finals. Well done to all our young players who were involved.
Off the pitch, several of our boys have been gaining work experience. Including analysis work with our first team staff and finance work with the club’s finance department. We have had representatives from various agencies coming in to talk to our 2nd year players regarding scholarships in the USA and Spain.
Finally, I would like to thank the players, parents, and staff for attending the recent Academy Review evenings at Edgeley Park. The feedback was very positive, and we will look forward to seeing you all again at the end of season reviews.
Damien Allen
Academy Manager
