Former Town U18 captain Curtley Williams is already attracting interest from English clubs after signing his one-year contract with the Glenn Hoddle Academy, which is based at the Montecastillo Resort near Jerez in Southern Spain.

Williams is believed to have caught the eye of Nottingham Forest, Tamworth, Braintree Town, AFC Sudbury and hometown club Needham Market before he jetted out and they are all keeping tabs on his progress.

The midfielder feels that he is progressing well, telling TWTD: "Everything about the hotel is really professional and it's the right environment for me. I think I can only get better and better the longer I'm here.

"All the coaches are brilliant and it's a relaxed atmosphere off the field, but during training the standard is really high.

"There are some really good players out here with first-year professionals Manuel Hugo (Portsmouth), Dave Cawley (West Ham) and Tom Webb (Colchester) all bringing immense quality to the training. The hotel is amazing – it's like being treated as a Champions League player, the facilities are first class.”

Only 17 players are currently training full-time with plenty of trialists attempting to win contracts on the scheme, which is being run by former pros Glenn Hoddle, John Gorman, Nigel Spackman and Graham Rix. The aim of the scheme is to offer a genuine route back into professional football for some of the youngsters discarded by the professional system.

Prior to signing with the GHA, Williams had trials at Lincoln, Stevenage, Peterborough and Colchester following his release from Town in mid-March.

Story: James Ager

Photo: Action Images

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