John McGreal has been nominated for the first ever Premier League 2 Head Coach of the Year Award following the U21s’ excellent inaugural season after the move to a category one academy last summer.

McGreal’s side finished the campaign in fifth position having headed the table for long spells and recording notable victories against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

“It’s testament to all the lads and to all the staff and shows the progress that we’ve been making,” the former central defender, pictured alongside his assistant Chris Casement, told the club site.

“We’ve had some brilliant wins and played some really good football and that’s been the result of the hard work of the group as a whole.

“We set some challenges at the start of the season and the players have risen to those superbly and all of the staff have been outstanding.

“I’m really proud of how the group has developed over the season and of how they’ve adapted to the step up to Premier League 2.”

The winner will be announced at the Premier League awards evening at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday 12th May.

Photo: TWTD