When it comes to youth football, the young talents at Chelsea have taken all of the headlines in 2015, and rightly so, winning both the FA Youth Cup and the UEFA Youth League. And whilst all the attention has been on them, many would be led to believe that everyone else is falling by the wayside.
But in West London, there are three other big clubs taking full advantage of the wonderful talent that this catchment area has to offer, and producing some notable talent of their own. Indeed there are Fulham, who were FA Youth Cup finalists themselves in 2014 and U18 Premier League winners the year before.
And then we have Queens Park Rangers and Brentford who, after years of instability and inconsistency are now beginning to heavily invest in their academies, which is now beginning to bear fruit. Recently, the sides met in the Barclays U21 Premier League Cup, and if this tie is anything to go by, not only will they be challenging the hegemony of the likes Fulham and Chelsea, but proves emphatically that west London is a hotbed of young, footballing talent.
Played in front of a vocal crowd under the lights at Loftus Road, fans were treated to a thrilling encounter full of passion and intensity but, more importantly, illuminated by technique and moments of quality that gives the players involved every chance of making the next step up into their respective first teams.
Although there were a few first teamers in action, they were outshone by young protagonists on show. For example, the presence of Sandro was overshadowed by the likes of 19 year old midfield partner Brandon Comley, whilst attacking midfielders such as Nathan Corkery, Ryan Manning and Gianni Crichlow were providing all the ammunition for striker, Sebastian Polter.
Sandro’s shadow was further cast by the excellent Brentford midfield trio of Jan Holldack, Lewis Macleod and the brilliant Zain Westbrooke, who dictated Brentford’s play from deep with his vision and awareness. And whilst Sam Saunders occupied the right hand side as he continued his comeback from injury, it was the other winger, 16-year-old Josh Bohui who broke the deadlock with a superb individual goal.
Bohui, who was called up to an England U16 training camp last season is already attracting the attention of England’s top clubs, and with this goal, you can see why. After receiving the ball on the inside left, he danced effortlessly past four players before finding the bottom corner.
Refreshingly, QPR remained loyal to their attacking principals and pushed for the equaliser. With Aaron Mitchell, normally an attacking midfielder, at Right Back, and the ambitious Osman Kakay at Left Back, the hosts took the game to the visitors.
But sucker-punch number two came shortly before the hour mark, as Sam Saunders picked out the well timed run of Lewis Macleod, and the Scotland U21 man made no mistake with his head from 12 yards out to put the young Bees 2-0 up.
Credit to the home side, they refused to let their heads drop, and instead continued to play with technique and vigour and got their rewards soon after. Crichlow, another 16 year old, and arguably QPR’s best player in the second half, outpaced his full back and had the end product to match, finding the unmarked Polter in the middle who halved QPR’s deficit. It created a fascinating ending to the game, and but for the inspired form of Brentford goalkeeper Jack Bonham, QPR would have definitely turned the game on its head.
In such a technically superb encounter, mention must be reserved for the mentality both sides exhibited. It’s clear that both sets of coaches work extremely hard on this area of their sides’ game and it’s proving to be effective. Resilience is something that U21 boss Paul Hall drives into his Rangers side every day, and they continued to play right to the last whistle, refusing to be beaten. Likewise, the way Brentford remained firm and saw the game out was equally as impressive, especially away from home.
Furthermore, and most importantly, both QPR and Brentford are beginning to have faith in their youth systems and giving their youth a chance. Whilst Chelsea may have taken all of the honours in 2015, both QPR and Brentford are ahead of them when it comes to getting academy graduates into the first team.
In spite of the pressure that the Premier League piles on, Chris Ramsey still gave opportunities to the likes of Reece Grego-Cox, Brandon Comley and Darnell Furlong, adding weight to Hall’s recent assertion that QPR are a “development club”. Additionally, First Team Assistant Manager Steve Gallen has an acute knowledge of the Hoops’ academy, coaching multiple age groups in his rise to the top. Therefore, he will be partial to bringing through the youngsters that he had a key role in developing.
Similarly, Brentford are also building an impressive infrastructure at Jersey Road. Spearheaded by Academy director Ose Aibangee, the young Bees are hot-stepping their way up the academy ladder with an attractive brand of football. Josh Clarke, Montell Moore and Jermaine Udumanga have all had opportunities in the first team, and with former Professional Development Manager Lee Carsley taking the First Team Hot Seat, he, like Gallen, will be sure to promote even more youngsters into the senior side.
West London is steeped in football history, but now it’s time for the next generation to make a name for themselves. Whilst this is easier said than done, this process has been facilitated by Academy Managers and First Team bosses showing an increased willingness to give their talented youngsters an opportunity.
Where many would have seen this as a risk before, the hard work that clubs such as QPR and Brentford have put into their academies in recent years makes the decision to elevate their youth an informed decision that is best for the squad. To fit in an old cliché, ‘If you’re good enough, you’re old enough’, and in West London there are four clubs producing talent worthy of excelling at the highest level.
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