Centre-back Joel Richardson struggled to get into the reserves and often U-18 side last season due to the form of the likes of Ashton Taylor and Gerwyn Jones, but a strong pre-season, with the defender also making appearances at right-back, should see Richardson cement his place in the U-18 side for the coming months.

Standing at a good height for a centre-back, Richardson possesses great strength and is capable of winning plenty of balls in the air, as he showed in the pre-season friendly against Cammell Laird when he was up against much taller and more physical opponents.

Richardson has been known to fill in upfront on a couple of occasions, including an impressive performance as a substitute at Buckley for the reserves against Wrexham, and this is not a bad option for a player who is very quick.