New academy recruit Elliot Scotcher has been named in the Wales U17 squad for a friendly tournament in Sweden later this month. Scotcher, who was formerly with Cardiff City, starts his two-year scholarship with the Blues later this month.
The Welsh youngsters face Iceland on July 20th, Norway on July 22nd and Sweden on July 24th. The games are warm-ups for UEFA U17 Championships qualifiers in the new season.
In April, academy recruitment officer Malcolm Moore told TWTD what we should expect from Scotcher (and the rest of the new recruits) : "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.”
Wales U17s: Daniel Ward (Wrexham), Christian Dibble (Bury), Adam Henley (Blackburn), Jordan Cranston (Wolves), Max Penk (Wrexham), Will James (Blackburn), Josh Pike (Swansea), Tom Bender (Colchester), George Higgins (UD Almeria), Elliot Scotcher (Ipswich), Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace), Tom Lawrence (Manchester United), Emyr Huws (Manchester City), Jandir Zola (Swansea), Richard Penikett (Fulham), Jonathan Evans (Accrington), James Loveridge (Swansea), Robert Parry (Wrexham).