Academy midfielder Elliot Scotcher is away with the Wales U17s at a friendly tournament in Sweden. Scotcher has just started his two-year scholarship with the Blues.
The former Cardiff schoolboy has been named amongst the subs for today’s opening game against Iceland in Laholm. The Welsh youngsters subsequently take on 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: Will Roberts (Wrexham), Adam Henley (Blackburn), Max Penk (Wrexham), Will James (Blackburn), Tom Bender (Colchester) (C), George Higgins (UD Almeria), Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace), Emyr Huws (Manchester City), Jandir Zola (Swansea), Gethyn Hill (Cardiff), James Loveridge (Swansea). Subs: Christian Dibble (Bury), Will Roberts (Unattached), Josh Pike (Swansea), Elliot Scotcher (Ipswich), Theo Wharton (Cardiff), Jonathan Evans (Accrington), Robbie Parry (Wrexham).