Serious financial constraints a decade or so ago forced Brentford to disband their academy system as the team struggled in the Football League. Their alternate plan of using a B team development pathway is given substantial credit for what has transpired in the intervening years, their rise to a Premier League status and ability to avoid relegation from it. Now, as they consolidate, a return to an academy development plan is required and yet they still retain their trusted B team formula. Their recruitment of Iwan Morgan through his recent transfer from Swansea City to supplement the squad, has him as one they have identified as a potential first team contributor at their club. Not surprising in many ways as Iwan has excelled, particularly so, as a goal scorer in his Swansea academy and scholar time. Intriguing though, as he is a little younger than their normal recruit into what they ideally intend to be a relatively short term pathway to first team integration. Wales fans will be delighted if their scouting network has provided the club with another success story. There will also be delight for Iwan on a personal basis, it is what all youngsters aspire to achieve and so hopefully he can thrive in his new situation. Having been a member of last season’s quite successful Welsh U-17 squad, Iwan was in the Wales U-19 squad that played a couple of friendly games against their Finnish counterparts during the international break.
Another Swansea player, midfielder Joel Cotterill was also on the move in the transfer window when he joined Stockport County. In his case, it is a season long loan arrangement and a return to Swansea at its completion. The intent of course is for Stockport to make a quality addition to their first team squad, Joel to benefit by gaining first team experience and his parent club to witness an improved player upon his return. Joel, whose lone Swansea appearance occurred in a Carabao Cup tie last season, has increasingly been on the fringe of first team involvement with the Swans in recent times. He will likely progress his career in a more timely manner with an accumulation of plenty of game time in League Two surroundings. Seemingly not wasting any time in impressing his new coaches, he was included in the matchday squad a few days after his arrival. Substituted into the game as the minutes approached the halfway point in the second half, he acquired an assist in his statistics as he helped them rescue a point in the fixture, as well as receiving a notable rating for his overall contribution. Presently a member of the U-21 squad, having previously represented Wales throughout the age groups, Joel helped the team record two good victories, scoring in their European qualification game.
The inevitable flurry of activity as the transfer window approached its close included a loan agreement instigated between Bournemouth and Cheltenham Town, the player temporarily transferred being central defender Owen Bevan. He is a player held in high regard at the south coast club, as can be ascertained by numerous occasions of incorporation into first team training situations along with making a couple of substitute appearances in the early days of last season. Soon after that he was loaned out to Yeovil Town in the National League making over thirty appearances as he assisted them with good performances. Owen made his debut for the Wiltshire club when playing the last quarter of their league game before he needed to be absent from their training sessions and games for the length time of being on duty with the Wales U-21 squad. Upon his return to the club, the quest will be to exhibit his quality with more than capable performances at League One level and drive his career toward tougher future challenges.
Scoring goals at a prolific rate in the lower echelons of non-league football does certainly raise the awareness of scouts, but for the most part, they prefer to wait to see if it is repetitive at or near the peak before pronouncing potential EFL success. Peterborough United, however, decided to forgo awaiting that next step when they signed Joe Taylor in late 2021. Integrating him into their first team squad with mainly late substitute appearances he became increasingly comfortable at this higher level of football, making enough of an impression to persuade Luton Town to sign him in last January’s transfer window. Immediately inserted into their matchday squads, he remained a part of it throughout the remainder of the season. Most of the time he stayed on the bench but did have six substitute outings for the team. With Luton gaining promotion into the Premier League, management at the club decided that Joe’s progress would be best served by playing regular football and so a loan arrangement with Colchester United was agreed. Joe is playing regular football and scoring, contributing five goals in his seven games for the team. Prompted by a media question, it was acknowledged that Joe was a little unlucky not to be included in the present U-21 squad after having done so in previous ones. It is, however, an indication of the intense competition for places in all the Welsh squads and the subsequent difficult questions the coaches have to answer regarding their decisions at times.
A player recently added to our awareness of being eligible to represent Wales, occurred when Neil added the name to one of his many informative sections that keeps us excellently appraised of the daily news about Welsh football. Kai Andrews is who I have in mind, a forward who is affiliated with Coventry City. A few months past his seventeenth birthday, Kai made his first team debut when introduced off the bench for a very brief appearance in their initial Championship match of the season. He was named on the bench for their next league game but was an unused substitute that time. It signifies that the management team want to acclimatize him to first team occasions and must believe that he is an option they consider a possible contender for their line-ups quite soon. Kai debuted in a Wales shirt last week when playing for the U-19 team against Finland and then collected his second cap when the two teams competed again this week.
Congratulations are extended to Wales U-17 international, Louis Griffiths, a player on associated schoolboy terms with Oxford United. Making his first team debut for the club in last week’s EFL Trophy match, he was introduced off the bench for the final fifteen minutes of the game. In doing so, he entered the record books, becoming the youngest senior team participant in the club’s history. Celebrating his sixteenth birthday only two days prior to the momentous event, it was a slightly delayed but wonderful present to add to his collection. An added belated happy birthday to you, and a wish for the best of fortune as you progress your career young man.
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