Town’s six new scholars for the 2010/11 season were inducted into the academy at Portman Road on Friday afternoon. The six youngsters include local lads Callum Bennett and Joe Whight, as well as a Norwegian, an Irishman, a Northern Irishman and a Welshman.
Academy recruitment officer Malcolm Moore told TWTD: "The induction is seen as the first day of their career. The boys have had a ground tour, they’ve been on the pitch and had photographs taken. They're now up in the Galleria signing papers.”
Amongst those starting their two-year scholarships are local boys Callum Bennett and Joe Whight. Bennett, a pupil at Kesgrave High School, has been a regular in the U18s this season.
Moore says the right-back has been with the academy for some years: "Callum’s been with us since he was an U9. He might not be the tallest, but he’s a good footballer, he’s very quick on recovery, a terrier in the tackle.
"You look at him off the field you think that butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, but when he crosses the white line he’s a nasty bit of work!
"It’s great for local football to see a local boy coming through. We looked at him at U8, got him in at U9 and he’s gradually got better and better.”
Moore says Whight, a Copleston High School pupil, joined the club a little later: "Joe joined us when he was about 12, but he’s one who has developed over the last two, two and half years. He would have played a lot more for the youth team this year but he’s had one or two minor injuries.
"He’s got a lovely lazy left foot and we’re really pleased to have both of them. Joe’s done well and pushed on, he can play left-back, centre-back, probably could play a little bit further forward as well.
"He’s tough, he’s got one of those lovely left feet which can drop it anywhere. He’s a very good player.”
Town’s academy has a tradition of recruiting Irish players and goalkeeper Conor O’Donnell from Buncrana Hearts in County Donegal is included in this year’s intake.
Moore says that O’Donnell, an Irish U16 international, has made significant progress recently: "He’s developed rapidly over the last 18 months and is now the Republic of Ireland U16s' number two goalkeeper, but has got really good potential.
"He’s growing all the time and [goalkeeper-coach] James Hollman loves him. He’s a glutton for work and we’ve flown him in from Brussels, where he’s been with the Republic U16 squad, to be at the induction.
"He’s got good, solid technique, he’s a good shot-stopper, brave and, unusually for a goalkeeper, he can kick with both feet.”
Town’s Norwegian recruit is Nicolay Schrøder, who Moore says is a defender who is comfortable on the ball: "He’s a very tall left-sided defender, who can play at centre-half or left-back.
"When we first saw him he always wanted to get it down and play and he impressed both [academy manager] Sammy Morgan and myself. Like a lot of them, one or two big clubs in the Premier League were very interested in him.
"He must be 6ft 4in tall, he’s a very tough guy and now he knows when to play and when to stick it in the stand. He takes no prisoners, he needs to develop his aerial work better than he is but we like him and we’ve been on his trail for some while. We think he’s got the potential and he’s in a Norwegian development squad.”
Midfielder Elliot Scotcher is a Wales U16 international team-mate of Town schoolboy Jack Simmons and was released by Cardiff City early in the season. That decision surprised Moore, who quickly brought him to Playford Road on trial, where he scored in the recent friendly against the LA Galaxy.
Moore, who is delighted to induct the academy’s first Welsh player after a couple of near misses, says he has a good all-round game: "He’s a central midfield player, tall, slim, growing all the time, good on the ball.
"He gets box-to-box and is just a nice, good footballer. He does all the jobs a midfield player has to do.
"I said to him when he was up here recently ‘you never get in the box beyond the strikers’. The first time he got in the box, he scored!
"We’re very pleased for him. I hope this is going to be the first of many from Wales. Our two scouts work very hard in Wales.
"He comes from Tenby, there were lots of clubs after him, Midlands clubs like West Brom and Birmingham, Swansea as well, but I think he’s come here, has seen what we’ve got to offer, the type of club we are and the boy really wanted to come here.”
The sixth new recruit is Northern Ireland U17 international Cormac Burke, who has been at Playford Road during his school holidays on a regular basis over the last couple of years.
Due to a difference in the school year between Northern Ireland and England, the midfielder is a year older than the rest of the inductees and plays alongside Josh Carson and Rory McKeown, second-year scholars next season, for his country.
Moore is delighted that he’s joining the academy full-time: "We’re really pleased that we’ve got him under the roof. I think his best position is wide right. He comes off the line, gets behind the frontmen and can also play down the middle.
"He’s got decent pace, power, great quality in his feet and once we get him in the building we think he’ll move on like all the others.”
Moore, who dismisses a recent newspaper report suggesting Fulham are targeting Josh Carson, says the academy could add another "one or two” to the ranks before the players start life at Portman Road at the beginning of the new season.