Academy League Review

WITH the NIFL Academy League season coming to an end for our three teams, colerainefc.com has been given a season review for each respective age category…

Under 16’s

A positive season for our under 16s resulted in a very respectable fifth place finish. Aaron Harrington began the season in charge and they got off to a excellent start with six wins from their opening eight games. A change of direction came in November when Harrington stepped away for personal reasons and Gary Devenney stepped in to the manager’s role.

Gary consolidated a top four spot which seen them qualify for the top section going into the New Year.

The second half of the season saw the team going in a new direction and playing a great brand of football, with the hard work from Gary, Rab and Sean on the training pitch being transferred to match days.The squad was capable of competing with anyone in the league and the introduction of some promising 2007 players towards the end of the season provides great optimism looking ahead to next season. A number of players stepped up to U18s throughout the season and put in strong performances.

Under 18’s

Our under 18s had a fantastic season resulting in them winning the NIFL Academy League title.

They won the league in style and were the top scorers, netting 89 goals in 28 games. The teams work rate, organisation and togetherness shone throughout the season.

There were many top performances throughout the season but none more than the front two of Jack Patton and Chris Cullen who both notched 19 league goals each. Towards the end of the season, ‘u18 players Jack Elliot, Micheal Stewart and Aaron Campbell were given opportunities in the first team match day squad which is a testament to how well they done throughout the season.

Furthermore, midway through the campaign, the under 18s lost the influential Bobby Jack McAleese as he earned a well deserved move to English Championship club Nottingham Forest. Despite this, it did not deter the young Bannsiders as they pushed on in the second half of the season.

Another intriguing feature of the season was that the full squad were a year young for the U18s age group and are all eligible to play in the same division next year. A lot of hard work from coaches Marty Smith, Brian Devine and Ronny Dealey saw the players improve and progress and they fully deserve the accolades that have come their way.

Under 20’s

A mixed season for our under 20s who put in some top performances and recorded some great results but also had tough days as well.

Under 20s top goalscorer Kirk McLaughlin went on to feature heavily in the first team squad in the latter part of the season and managed to score his first senior goal against Warrenpoint, which was quickly followed by another senior goal versus Glenavon.

Other under 20s players to progress and feature in the first team were Lewis Tosh, Jack McFeely, Alex Henderson and Jay Riley which shows the club provides a pathway to progress.

There was international recognition for three members of the squad as Alex Henderson, Lewis Tosh and Jack McFeely represented Northern Ireland schoolboys during the season. Again our under 20s team has one the youngest squads in the league which will stand them in good stead as they look to push on next season.