Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Youth Update: 4th August 2016
By Deadly Submarine
August 4 2016
A combined look back and look ahead as Tranmere's Under 18 Youth side prepare to open their 2016/17 Youth Alliance campaign on Saturday morning at home to Port Vale...
While Tranmere’s first team make the long trip to Bromley on Saturday to get their 2016/17 National League campaign underway, the Rovers U18 side will make a slightly shorter journey to the Club's Training Ground at Raby Vale where they will take on Port Vale in their opening game in the Youth Alliance League.
After leading the Football League Youth Alliance (North West) Division for a time last season, Rovers ultimately finished in fourth place behind Wigan Athletic, Bury and Walsall whilst also progressing through three qualifying rounds of the FA Youth Cup before an extremely unlucky first round proper defeat to Carlisle United at Brunton Park following extra-time and then penalties.
At the end of a relatively successful season, professional contracts were offered to three players in the shape of midfielder Daren Askew and forward players Sam Illesanmi and Tolani Omotola whilst a number of other players were unlucky to miss out on professional deals of their own.
Football League Youth Alliance (North) - Final Table 2015/16
Goalkeeper Paddy Rutter and defender Tom Williams have both signed for Welsh Premier League side Llandudno FC this summer since missing out on contracts at Rovers last May with Rutter being part of the Llandudno squad which travelled to Sweden to face IFK Gothenburg in a European Qualifier recently.
The Welsh side lost 5-0 in Sweden before returning to play the home leg at Bangor City’s ground where they played to a much more respectable 2-1 defeat.
Jake Hulley, another player who missed out on a professional contract at Rovers at the end of last season will come up against Rutter and Williams in the Welsh Premier League this season after signing for Airbus UK.
So which players should we look out for this season amongst our Under 18 squad of players?
Moving up to become second year scholars from last season’s squad are Jack Fleming (D), Eddie Clarke (D), James Galloway (D), Jamie Heron (M), Kevin Cringle (M), Callum Lucy (M), Tom Croughan (M/F), Scott Medlen (F) and Udoyen Akpan (F) along with Gabriel Kubwalo (D/M) who after injury problems last season has remained with the Youth side this season.
Tom Croughan (Foreground) and Udoyen Akpan (Back) in action against Witton Albion
They are joined by seven new first year scholars, Paddy Wharton (GK), Declan Drysdale (D), Josh Solomon-Davies (D), James Ellison (D), Ethan Devine (M), James Devine (M) and Joe Brett (F), some of whom have already made a good impression in the Youth team pre-season games.
Rovers’ youngsters played seven pre-season games of their own beginning with a 3-1 win away against Airbus Under 19’s thanks to goals from Jamie Heron, Tom Croughan and Tolani Omotola who was playing with the youth side rather than joining the first team on their pre-season training visit to Ireland.
Defeats followed away at Prestatyn (5-0) and Witton Albion (1-0) before a comfortable 3-0 win over Grimsby Town’s Youth side at Raby Vale. A 2-2 draw away at AFC Liverpool was next before an exciting but ultimately disappointing 3-2 defeat to Llandudno FC in game that was 1-0 to Rovers going into the last five minutes and was still 1-1 as we entered injury time!
This week saw the final Youth friendly as they lost 1-0 away at Holywell Town, completing their preparation for this Saturday’s home game against Port Vale which kicks off at 11:00am at the Raby Vale Training Ground.
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04/08/2016 21:21
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Quote:WWStandsure
Excellent work Deadly. Further to that info though, apparently a TRFC side played away at LLandudno on Friday 29th July - any news of the side (was it combination of youth & first teamers?), - and result?, it does not show on the pre-season fixtures on the official Rovers web site. Perhaps you know.
The Llandudno game is mentioned above in the article!!!
No sooner had I posted this story than Kevin Cringle (2nd Year Scholar) joined AFC Liverpool last night on what the Club are calling "Work Experience".
Good Luck to him there even though I'm surprised it's happened his early in the season.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:08:05:13:12:42 by Deadly Submarine.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
