By Chris Cassidy
Newly appointed Boro head coach Jonathan Woodgate now has his first non-competitive wins under his belt and over the course of his four games in charge he has already proven his willingness to use young players from the academy.
Out of the twenty-eight that travelled to Austria almost three weeks ago, no fewer than twelve of that squad have progressed through the youth ranks at Rockliffe.
With not much happening on the transfer front and fans knowledge of Woodgate’s ‘if they’re good enough, they’ll play’ attitude, here are five promising youngsters who will be hoping to establish themselves as first-team mainstays in the build-up to a fresh Championship season.
Patrick Reading
Left-back has been a position that has needed addressing for a number of years now, so it comes as a delight to most fans that twenty-year-old Patrick Reading has emerged on the scene during the opening pre-season matches.
After a strong end to last season having previously missed a large chunk through injury, a string of impressive performances with Boro’s U23s earned him his first cap for Scotland’s U21s side.
Having showcased one of his main attributes, his crossing, Reading has already caught the eye of supporters by contributing to an abundance of chances in friendlies against Gateshead and Hartlepool.
So, with the continued absence of George Friend and lack of any potential signings, Reading will be hoping to earn himself a starting spot in Jonathan Woodgate’s first Championship eleven.
Hayden Coulson
Going head to head with Reading for that exact starting spot is Hayden Coulson. Another of the left-sided players that has progressed through the academy.
Coulson, a year older than Reading, has already experienced more competitive senior football from loans at St. Mirren and Cambridge United. He, like Reading, has also represented his country on the international stage with England at U16 and U17 level.
Until last Sunday’s friendly against Hartlepool, Coulson had been utilised as a winger in games against Grazer AK and Gateshead due to a lack of wide-men to fit Woodgate’s desired 4-3-3 formation.
However, when used in his most natural position against Craig Hignett’s National League outfit, he received glowing reviews, namely from BBC Tees Sport expert summariser Neil Maddison who highlighted his pace and ability to get forward before awarding him Man of the Match.
Connor Malley
Nineteen-year-old Connor Malley spent the final games of last season as the 19th man in Tony Pulis’ Boro squad; the midfielder travelled with the squad on a weekly basis last year despite not actually making the bench.
Last season Malley made twenty appearances for the U23s, scoring three goals, and also featured on the first-team bench earlier on in the campaign as an unused substitute in Carabao Cup ties against Rochdale and Preston.
Now under a new regime, the combative, forward thinking central midfielder will be hoping to force his way into the first-team set-up after signing a new three-year contract in May.
He has already shown signs of promise in pre-season and his assist for Marvin Johnson’s goal against Gateshead epitomised him as a player. His quick feet, also used to advance into the box for his goal against Bishop Auckland yesterday, got him out of a tight situation before showing his tenacity to stab the ball past another Gateshead player into the path of Johnson.
Regardless of the dense numbers of midfielders in Boro’s squad, you would expect Malley will want to ensure he remains in and around the first team.
Billal Brahimi
Many fans would argue French youth international Billal Brahimi should be in the first-team picture based on hair alone. Nevertheless, as wonderful as his curly locks are, Brahimi possesses everything that Boro are missing - pace, trickery and a creative eye for a pass.
The problem for Boro is with great talent comes great admiration and there has been no shortage of interest in Teesside’s answer to Carlos Valderrama. Newcastle and Liverpool have reportedly already looked at the winger and both would be keen to get hold of one of Boro’s best youngsters.
The Riverside crowd has already had a taste of what Brahimi brings to the forward line in the form of an eye-catching substitute appearance in last season’s Carabao Cup, so it has come as somewhat of a shock that he has not been as involved in the managers pre-season plans as much as he would have been expected.
Perhaps this may be down to previous uncertainty over his contractual situation but what we do know is that he is currently a Middlesbrough player, and a talented one at that.
Stephen Walker
Like Brahimi, Ste Walker captured supporters’ hearts and imaginations with an impressive Carabao Cup run out last term. On his debut against Notts County in the first round, the young striker lived out his and thousands of other Teessiders’ dreams by leading the line for his boyhood club, teeing up Ashley Fletcher for an equaliser with skilful link-up play and scoring a penalty as Boro advanced to the next round.
Prior to going out on loan, where Walker won promotion with MK Dons, he also committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new five-year contract amid interest from Manchester United.
Walker also hasn’t yet had his chance in pre-season but this is through no fault of his own. The soon to be eighteen-year-old picked up a knock that has meant he hasn’t been able to feature yet, but it’d be a safe bet to say he’ll be involved in the new-look Boro before too long.
Only five youngsters featured in this piece but there are a whole host of others waiting on the wings of the senior squad and currently involved in pre-season. Boro fans, what do you think of the five included? Are there any other youngsters you would have included and would like to see in the first eleven next season?
Let us know by replying on Twitter.
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