U18s at Watford - Ipswich Town News
Town’s U18s are in action against Watford this morning at the UCL Training Ground, London Colney (KO 11am). The young Blues will be looking to put a run together after last week’s 1-0 victory over West Ham.
Meanwhile, academy manager Sammy Morgan says changes to the youth system currently being discussed which will see academies split into four categories won’t have too much of an effect on the Blues’ youth set-up: "The first draft of the proposals didn’t look good for clubs in the Football League.
"But the second draft, which is still under discussion, is not so severe and I’m hopeful that we’ll find ourselves in category two and be able to carry on in similar lines to what we are now.
"These changes are driven by the Premier League and, although the Football League is the poor relation, we must ensure that we do not lose out to the big boys on this.
"This would see us able to play category one clubs, which would be an advantage when it comes to recruitment.
"And we would still be able to take in boys from ages eight and nine and the rules about boys having to live within 90 minutes of a club would still apply, although perhaps category one clubs might get privileges.”
Category one status, aimed at Premier League sides, will involve residential accommodation, on-site schools and the resultant additional staff, which are likely to cost £4 million, more than four times Town’s current spending on their academy.
What to read next:
U21s Beat Stoke to Return to TopGoals from Luca Fletcher and Afi Adebayo saw Town’s U21s come from behind to win for the second game running, beating Stoke City 2-1 at the JobServe Community Stadium in Colchester to return to the top of Premier League 2.
Hirst: Massive Honour to Captain TownTown striker George Hirst says it was a ‘huge honour’ to be handed the captain’s armband by Blues boss Kieran McKenna during the 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Wrexham.
Parkinson: We Showed How We've Evolved as a TeamWrexham boss Phil Parkinson was delighted to take the Red Dragons to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1997 following their 1-0 victory over the Blues at the Racecourse Ground.
McKenna: Disappointed With the Result, a Mixed PerformanceTown boss Kieran McKenna felt his side’s performance was mixed as they were beaten 1-0 by Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground to exit the FA Cup at the fourth round stage, believing that the key period of the match came around the 20-minute mark.
Wrexham 1-0 Ipswich Town - Match ReportJosh Windass’s 34th minute goal saw Wrexham to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at the Racecourse Ground, ending Town’s participation in the FA Cup at the fourth round stage.
Wrexham 1-0 Ipswich Town - Half-TimeJosh Windass’s 34th-minute goal has given Wrexham a 1-0 half-time lead over the Blues in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the Racecourse Ground.
Ten Changes For Town at WrexhamTown boss Kieran McKenna has made 10 changes for this evening’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground with George Hirst skippering for the first time and Dan Neil making his full debut (BBC One Wales, KO 7.45pm).