With this week (17-23 March) being EFL Youth Development Week, our monthly academy update comes from Professional Development Phase Coach David Meyler on how our scholars are developing.
The Under-18s currently sit fifth in the Professional Development League North, nine points off the play-offs with eight games left to play. Facing Coventry City at Bishop Burton College on Saturday, with entry free for all supporters for the midday kick-off, Meyler assessed his debut campaign coaching at PDP level both as an individual and for the team.
“It has been a really positive eight-to-nine months. Up until Christmas, the players were really developing and learning collectively as a team. Individually, we had a few that were performing quite well and some of those players have kicked on into the Under-21s group and are playing on a regular basis, which is great credit to them and to those players,” said Meyler.
“Off the back of that, we’ve had lads, who are first years, step in and they have been given the opportunity to play. Probably some of the results weren’t great at the start of 2025, but we could definitely see some parts of their performances, which we felt that were improving, and we have gone into this period with the last couple of weeks picking up a few good results. You can really see the next group are starting to find their feet and really build up their own individual and collective performances.
“At the start of the season, you get to work with a continuous solid group of around 18 players. With the work that we have been doing to get players better and move them up, suddenly your group becomes smaller. That becomes a different challenge as I am getting to know the players on a personal level, first and foremost.
“All the players are young and have all come from different areas and backgrounds. They are understanding their own challenges away from football, as well as their areas of strengths and weaknesses. We want to help them improve, so they can ultimately perform on a Saturday and play to the best of their own ability.”
The Under-18s have 10 second-year scholars and 12 first-year scholars in the team. A number of players have become regular Under-21 players, such as Stan Ashbee, Ed Devine, Harry Revill, Lucas Dawson and Aidon Shehu. Meanwhile, Ashbee, Aidan Durkan and Stan Hewitt have all conducted work experience loans to gain vital minutes in senior football.
Furthermore, Ashbee, Jack Topley, Zac Jagielka and Cayden Cole have had the opportunity to represent their respective countries on international duty throughout the 2024/25 season.
“Work experience loans are an incredible learning curve for the players, because they go into a first-team environment where it purely becomes about results. It’s a preview into what senior life looks like and it gives them a real insight into what it takes at that level. Obviously with our players, it is about developing and helping them progress to the next level,” said Meyler.
“The international exposure our players have had is important. Representing your country is an incredible honour and that comes from the work you do day-to-day and how you perform on the weekend. You get recognition from your international coaches and then when the opportunity comes, those players have got to go and grab that opportunity.
“International football is different. You have boys all from different clubs and you’re in different countries adjusting to that international style of football which is a different challenge for them, but from our experience, they have really enjoyed it and learned a lot, which is really important for their development.”
Due to players stepping up to feature regularly for the Under-21s or senior football on work experience, the first-year scholars have been deployed regularly in their first season in full-time football.
Also seeing a number of the Tigers’ Under-16s step up like Bobby Moore, Ted Gode and Albert Matique, Meyler commented on how the first-year scholars have adapted into full-time professional football and how they balance their education programme within their football.
“Last season, towards the back end, I had an opportunity to step up my role from the YDP (Youth Development Phase) into the PDP, and it was a great insight into seeing the first-years last year who started to play towards the back end to then see them back in at the start of this pre-season as second years. They learned from their first-year experiences. They grow up a level and their maturity goes up a level and they see how it works,” explained Meyler.
“The first years have adjusted to full-time training and their education - we are really big on education. Obviously they have their education slot, but it is really important to balance that with your training and games programmes. I look forward to seeing how the first years come back after this season finishes, as they will be a little bit older and wiser and also how they embed the new first-year scholars into the programme.
“With the day-release programme we’re currently running, those Under-16 boys have been given the opportunity to come in and get that exposure with the Under-18s in training. A couple of the lads that have been offered scholarships have already featured for the Under-18s, so they have had a little bit of a taste, but nothing really prepares you for Under-18s football until you get into the building and in a full-time environment. The work that is done at YDP is very good, but when you’re training five times a week and also playing in a competitive league where every game does matter is tough.
“It is all about tying that into their development, learning how to adapt to different systems and styles of football and how we can implement their football into how we want to play. They will start to learn more and more, so it will be really important for how our first years come back next year as second years and how they really look to lead and help the younger first years come in to settle into full-time football.”