The Blues have director Holly Bellingham to thank for the recruitment of new youth player Reggie Lambe, according to academy manager Tony Humes. Lambe, 16, will become the club's first ever Bermudian when he starts as a full-time scholar in the summer.

In an exclusive interview for the new issue of TWTD, Humes reveals how the midfielder came to the academy's attention: "It was actually a contact of club director Holly Bellingham. I think we have her to thank for that. The tip was passed on and he came over for the first time around two years ago.

"We thought then he was a very, very talented boy, but the difficulty was checking out his progress because he lives so far away. However, he's been over twice since and we've seen enough to offer him an apprenticeship.

"You don't know how he's going to develop, but he's got a lot of football in his feet and we've seen enough to give him the opportunity when he starts full-time with us in July."

Issue 87 of TWTD will be on sale prior to Saturday's game with Derby County from our sellers around the ground (by Sir Alf, Planet Blue and the Portman Road entrance to the Greene King Stand).

Humes talks about the academy in general and gives us an insight into the young players tipped to progress into the first team next season, the likes of Jordan Rhodes, Jai Reason, Tommy Smith, Ed Upson, Kurt Robinson and Curtley Williams.

If you can't make the game, you can buy a single copy of the fanzine here or take out a six-issue subscription here.

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