The under 16 squad has been in pre-season training since the beginning of July, we bring this squad in early to get them used to how hard pre-season is. It can be a big shock to the system for those lucky enough to gain a modern apprenticeship.

The players are not used to the heavy work load e.g. running and conditioning work. Plus with a good pre-season behind them it gives them the chance to perform to there optimum level. Once players start to get tired they tend to make the wrong decisions through tiredness. The fitter they are the better concentration they will have over the ninety minutes of  a match, plus added benefit of being able to cover more ground on the football pitch.

The under 16s and a number of trialist played there first pre-season friendly against an American side called the Super Clubs. The players from this American squad are picked from the best teams in North America. The players at first were a little bit rusty but once they got back into the swing of things the passing got a little bit better. It was a very competitive match and both teams tried to play football in the right way and manner.

The good thing about these games is that they highlight any areas e.g. defensive, that I may need to work on in the next training season. The players played very well during the first two periods of 30 minutes, the passing was not as good in the last period but that can be worked on.

The next pre-season game for the under 16 squad is against Rotherham United at Rotherham. These teams are usually very physical and quite athletic so should be a good test for these young players.

If anybody would like to sponsor the Centre of Excellence you can contact myself  Dave Bentley, Jason Elliot, Chris Breeze and Mick Beddingham.

Enjoy the Match

Mark Jules

Centre of Excellence Manager