The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2024/25

[Royals and Racers]

U 21’s back in PL 2 league action this Friday 24th October away to West Brom KO 7pm. The match is at Damson Park the home of Solihull Moors FC.
WBA are 27th we are 25th.

The U 18’s are also in league action at home on Saturday 25th at Bearwood playing Chelsea KO 11am.
We are 10th Chelsea 3rd.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/oct/19/englands-under-21-leagues-are-filled-with-players-whose-clubs-see-no-future-for-them?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

This is an interesting read...

I think the reality is if you're twenty-one and haven't broken into the first team yet, there's very little chance of you doing so - unless you're a goalkeeper (for example). We probably should go back to the U21s being reserve teams; would reduce the costs for clubs too.

To put that into context, of the players who gained professional contacts at 18, over the next eight years 5% stayed at the same level, 5% moved up and 58% moved down the English professional football pyramid. A further 25% left the professional game and 7% moved abroad.

I'm surprised it's as little as 25% leaving professional football, tbh.

I hadn't really thought about it as a need to fill squad places va. Actually having a shot at making it....

I wonder how overt it is on the inside - i.e. is there a tacit understanding that some players are on the elite track and others aren't ?

I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that the system has led to this over supply...

[The Cube]

Toby Borgnis (U18 goalkeeper, and younger brother of Jacob) has been called up by New Zealand for the U17 World Cup in Qatar. They are in a group with Saudi Arabia, Mali and Austria, starting on 5 November.

Another Reading call-up to the U17 World Cup - midfielder Lucas Daka for Zambia. He was at an England training camp two years ago, and is also eligible for Ukraine.

England squad announced today, but no surprise that there are no Reading players in it.

As far as this year's England U15 autumn training camps go, I've not heard of any Reading call-ups. So far there have been two camps plus one for goalkeepers, so probably two more camps to go. Last year we had at least four players involved, with one (Tyler Adjei) making the England U15 squad later in the season.

[Royals and Racers]

U 21’s back in PL 2 league action this Friday 24th October away to West Brom KO 7pm. The match is at Damson Park the home of Solihull Moors FC.
WBA are 27th we are 25th.

The U 18’s are also in league action at home on Saturday 25th at Bearwood playing Chelsea KO 11am.
We are 10th Chelsea 3rd.

Because of the FA Youth Cup match on Monday the U 18’s v Chelsea tomorrow has been postponed- now to be played Tuesday January 27th.

[Royals and Racers]

Rhone
Bowdery
Beacroft
Spencer
Duah
Borgnis
Coke-Miles-Smith
Hicks
Patton
Sackey
Okine-Peters
SUBS
Welland
Williams
Barough
Osho
Evans

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Rhone
Bowdery
Beacroft
Spencer
Duah
Borgnis
Coke-Miles-Smith
Hicks
Patton
Sackey
Okine-Peters
SUBS
Welland
Williams
Barough
Osho
Evans

Would expect to see Tuma involved or maybe he's first team tomorrow given Ritchie likely out and Kelvin up front again.

Good to see Osho fit.

[Royals and Racers]

15 mins delayed start- no reason given.
West Brom 0 Reading 1 45+ 2 Sackey
H-T 0-1

[Hound]

15 mins delayed start- no reason given.
West Brom 0 Reading 1 45+ 2 Sackey
H-T 0-1

Good stuff

[Hound]

How’s Coke Miles Smith getting on nowadays? He was pretty rated before a nasty injury iirc

[Royals and Racers]

1-1 78 mins
West Brom 2 Reading 1 80 mins
F-T 2-1

[Orion1871]

15 mins delayed start- no reason given.
West Brom 0 Reading 1 45+ 2 Sackey
H-T 0-1

Good stuff

1-1 78 mins
West Brom 2 Reading 1 80 mins
F-T 2-1

Bad stuff.

[Royals and Racers]

1-1 78 mins
West Brom 2 Reading 1 80 mins
F-T 2-1

Bad stuff.

Not great - now 26th in the table out of 29

[Royals and Racers]

Next up for the U 21’s and U 18’s.
U 21’s home to Fulham at Bearwood on Saturday 1st November KO 12pm PL 2 match.
Reading 27th Fulham 5th
U18’s ( after tonights FA Youth cup match) Saturday 1st November away to West Brom KO 12pm. Match is at the Fitlife foods performance centre.
Reading 11th WBA 8th

[The Cube]

U17 Premier League Cup
Reading beat Swansea 2-1 last week. As expected, we finish second in the group to West Brom. Since my last post, I have found out that only the group winners go forward, so that's it for this season.

U16 Premier League Tournament
Reading definitely have qualified for the National Finals Day on Saturday 8 November, after finishing in the top two of Tournament 2 . We play Aston Villa in one semi-final at 1 pm, whilst Blackburn take on Arsenal in the other. Third-place match and final are later the same day. The whole tournament is at St George's Park.

[Royals and Racers]

Next up for the U 21’s and U 18’s.
U 21’s home to Fulham at Bearwood on Saturday 1st November KO 12pm PL 2 match.
Reading 27th Fulham 5th
U18’s ( after tonights FA Youth cup match) Saturday 1st November away to West Brom KO 12pm. Match is at the Fitlife foods performance centre.
Reading 11th WBA 8th

Tickets now on sale for the Bearwood U 21 match on Saturday. Only available by phoning the ticket office.

[The Cube]

Toby Borgnis (U18 goalkeeper, and younger brother of Jacob) has been called up by New Zealand for the U17 World Cup in Qatar. They are in a group with Saudi Arabia, Mali and Austria, starting on 5 November.

Another Reading call-up to the U17 World Cup - midfielder Lucas Daka for Zambia. He was at an England training camp two years ago, and is also eligible for Ukraine.

Unfortunately, I was wrong about Lucas Daka. He was selected for Zambia's initial 26-strong squad, but hasn't made it into the final 21 players for the tournament (there is a Billy Daka in the 21 but that's a different person).

Borgnis is one of three goalkeeepers in the 21-player New Zealand squad.

[Royals and Racers]

Nothing from RFC !!!
Team U 21’s v Fulham
Rhone
Bowdery
Duah
J Williams
Ryan
Hicks
Sackey
Okine-Peters
Barough
Osho
Patton
SUBS
Yensu
Howard
Coke-Miles Smith
Obodo
Evans

[morganb]

What does this tell us about the squad for this afternoon's game?

A few of the Unders playing this morning have played some of the other Cup games this season so are we going slightly stronger as it's the FA Cup?

[Sutekh]

What does this tell us about the squad for this afternoon's game?

A few of the Unders playing this morning have played some of the other Cup games this season so are we going slightly stronger as it's the FA Cup?

Yes it will be strong in the cup as, if nothing else, Leam will want to see what his players can do so he has some idea of the state of things when Stevenage come to town

[Royals and Racers]

Reading 1 Fulham 0 14 mins Hicks
1-1 24 mins