Not only does this represent a huge step forward for the club and its ambition to attract and develop the very best young talent, it also displays the real pathway that our wider B-TEC programme offers. For academy director Marvin Williams this is a very proud moment and rewards the attitude, hard work and talent of these young footballers. As such Marvin would like to introduce and congratulate our first six paid scholars (from left in the above photo): Daniel Olabiyi, Roman Charles-Cook, Gucci Soulya-Kanongo, Kai Tanner, Jordan McNally and Joseph Throp.

Marvin believes that these scholarships ‘are very deserving and provide an excellent opportunity for these boys to progress their footballing ambitions’ and is especially pleased for Gucci, Kai and Roman who were all part of last season’s successful FA Youth Cup team, and Joe who has graduated from the Under 16s having been part of the club since he was at Under 12 level.

These young men will be supported in their continuing football and educational development and will benefit from a range of both dedicated and focused support.