The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2024/25

[Royals and Racers]

Royals U 21 back home at the SCL stadium on Monday 7th October with a PL 2 fixture against Norwich City KO 7pm.
Ticket arrangements are the same as the Ajax game and all fans are in the Lower West stand.

Doesn’t look as if there have been many tickets sold for tonight- obviously PL 2 match against Norwich isn’t as much a draw as playing Ajax in the PL International Cup.

[Clyde1998]

Royals U 21 back home at the SCL stadium on Monday 7th October with a PL 2 fixture against Norwich City KO 7pm.
Ticket arrangements are the same as the Ajax game and all fans are in the Lower West stand.

Doesn’t look as if there have been many tickets sold for tonight- obviously PL 2 match against Norwich isn’t as much a draw as playing Ajax in the PL International Cup.

I was surprised this game is at the Mad Stad, although perhaps they've got a minimum number of games they have to have there each season?

I'm personally not going tonight - partially because getting back to the Newbury/Thatcham area after 8pm isn't the quickest thing to do when you don't drive; partially as I'm heading to Cheltenham tomorrow. The size of the game doesn't override those factors. If I lived in Reading, I'd probably be going.

Be interesting to see what team turns up tonight though - a couple of key players missing could be an indication they'll be playing with the first team at Cheltenham.

[Royals and Racers]

Will be a very young side out tonight- 6/7 of the players arrived by minibus(to young to drive).A lot of the regular team playing tomorrow.
I will have some injury news to impart when team is announced shortly.

[Royals and Racers]

Rowley
Beacroft
Source
Senga
Stickland
Harrison
Barough
Borgnis
Okine-Peters
Wellens
McMillen
SUBS
Rhone
Howard
Osho
Saint-Louis
Trialist

Borgnis back from injury- likely to only play 45 mins
John Clarke out for a few more weeks - had a minor back procedure.

[Clyde1998]

Rowley
Beacroft
Source
Senga
Stickland
Harrison
Barough
Borgnis
Okine-Peters
Wellens
McMillen
SUBS
Rhone
Howard
Osho
Saint-Louis
Trialist

Borgnis back from injury- likely to only play 45 mins
John Clarke out for a few more weeks - had a minor back procedure.

Good to see Borgnis back.

Looks like Norcott; Sackey; Ahmed; Holzman and Spencer are all missing out of the regulars - and are probably involved in the first team tomorrow (assuming none of them are injured).

[Royals and Racers]

0-1 17 mins

[Hound]

Rowley
Beacroft
Source
Senga
Stickland
Harrison
Barough
Borgnis
Okine-Peters
Wellens
McMillen
SUBS
Rhone
Howard
Osho
Saint-Louis
Trialist

Borgnis back from injury- likely to only play 45 mins
John Clarke out for a few more weeks - had a minor back procedure.

Good to see Borgnis back.

Looks like Norcott; Sackey; Ahmed; Holzman and Spencer are all missing out of the regulars - and are probably involved in the first team tomorrow (assuming none of them are injured).

Verrell George as well? Is Kanu fit? Thought he looked a good prospect

[Clyde1998]

Rowley
Beacroft
Source
Senga
Stickland
Harrison
Barough
Borgnis
Okine-Peters
Wellens
McMillen
SUBS
Rhone
Howard
Osho
Saint-Louis
Trialist

Borgnis back from injury- likely to only play 45 mins
John Clarke out for a few more weeks - had a minor back procedure.

Good to see Borgnis back.

Looks like Norcott; Sackey; Ahmed; Holzman and Spencer are all missing out of the regulars - and are probably involved in the first team tomorrow (assuming none of them are injured).

Verrell George as well? Is Kanu fit? Thought he looked a good prospect

George could possibly be involved, although he's only played in one(?) U21 match so far and has mostly been involved with the U18s. Tuma being away on international duty may help his cause.

Don't know about Kanu. He's not played for the U21s at all this season (don't think he's been in a matchday squad either); I would've thought he'd have been on the bench for the U21s at the very least.

[Royals and Racers]

H-T 0-1
1-1 54 mins Senga
1-2 59 mins
Senga stretchered off 75 mins
F-T 1-2

[Hound]

Hopefully not too bad an injury for Senga. Can’t seem to really get going for us, feel likes he needs a run of solid games to push for the first team but chances of that are running out

[Clyde1998]

Hopefully not too bad an injury for Senga. Can’t seem to really get going for us, feel likes he needs a run of solid games to push for the first team but chances of that are running out

He's out of contract in the summer and will be 21 then. Unless he breaks through at some point this season, I'd imagine we won't be renewing his contract. Seems Sackey and Spencer are getting more of a first team opportunity at the moment.

[RG30]

Not a bad game, Norwich took both goals well.

Spotted Brian Howard in the Lower West concourse at HT.

[The Cube]

A couple of competitions that I don't think have been covered in this thread.

U17 Premier League Cup - this is different from the U18 Premier League Cup...
28 teams taking part, the 26 Category 1 Academies, plus 2 from Category 2.
7 groups of 4. I think it's group winners plus best 2nd place to the quarter-finals.

Results so far:
Crystal Palace 1 Reading 0
Reading 2 Southampton 3 - one goal scored by "Coke"

We're last in the group and can't finish in the top 2

Fixture:
27 Nov - Reading v Brighton (at Bearwood)


U16 Premier League Tournament
28 teams taking part, the 26 Category 1 Academies, plus 2 from Category 2.
7 groups of 4. It is group winners plus best 2nd place to the quarter-finals. There's also a Plate competition for the next 8 teams.
If it's the same as last season, then it's a weekend tournament at Loughborough. I think it's 12/13 October.

Group C - Reading, Stoke, Manchester United, Norwich

[RG30]

Tickets for Monaco U21's (H) now on-sale - IN!

[Clyde1998]

In!

[Royals and Racers]

Tickets for Monaco U21's (H) now on-sale - IN!

Plus the U 21 games against Luton and Burnley both in PL cup.

[The Cube]

An update after day 1 of the U16 Premier League Tournament.

Reading drew with Stoke in the first game, and then lost to Manchester United by 2 goals. We're last in the group and cannot realistically qualify for the quarter-finals. A win over Norwich (who have two wins so far) in the last game on Saturday might get us into the Plate competition for 9th to 16th teams.

Before the first game, someone listed the top 3 players to watch for each club. Maybe this is just based on how much they've played for the U18s, but the three names for Reading were Henry Agyekum, Boyd Beacroft and Da’Jarne Martin-Grant.

[Royals and Racers]

An update after day 1 of the U16 Premier League Tournament.

Reading drew with Stoke in the first game, and then lost to Manchester United by 2 goals. We're last in the group and cannot realistically qualify for the quarter-finals. A win over Norwich (who have two wins so far) in the last game on Saturday might get us into the Plate competition for 9th to 16th teams.

Before the first game, someone listed the top 3 players to watch for each club. Maybe this is just based on how much they've played for the U18s, but the three names for Reading were Henry Agyekum, Boyd Beacroft and Da’Jarne Martin-Grant.

It’s not Boyd but Ryan Beacroft. Boyd is the brother who plays for the U 21’s.

[The Cube]

An update after day 1 of the U16 Premier League Tournament.

Reading drew with Stoke in the first game, and then lost to Manchester United by 2 goals. We're last in the group and cannot realistically qualify for the quarter-finals. A win over Norwich (who have two wins so far) in the last game on Saturday might get us into the Plate competition for 9th to 16th teams.

Before the first game, someone listed the top 3 players to watch for each club. Maybe this is just based on how much they've played for the U18s, but the three names for Reading were Henry Agyekum, Boyd Beacroft and Da’Jarne Martin-Grant.

It’s not Boyd but Ryan Beacroft. Boyd is the brother who plays for the U 21’s.

You're quite right, of course. And looking back it was my error rather than whoever made the list.

[The Cube]

Final update from the U16 Premier League Tournament. Reading did beat Norwich on Saturday morning (by two goals) and finished third in the group ahead of Stoke. We needed two more goals to get through to the Plate competion for 9th to 16th.

Middlesbrough won the overall competition, beating Norwich on penalties in the final. Manchester United won the Plate. So the top two in Reading's group both reached finals.