Huddersfield Town A.F.C. Reserves and Academy

Huddersfield Town Development Squad and Academy
Full name Huddersfield Town F.C. Development Squad and Academy
Founded 1908
Ground Canalside Sports Complex, Huddersfield
Manager Dev Squad: Frankie Bunn
Academy: Mark Lillis
League U21: U21 Professional Development League 2 North Division
U18: U18 Professional Development League 2 North Division
2013–14 U21: U21 Professional Development League 2 North Division, 1st (lost in play-offs)
U18: U18 Professional Development League 2 North Division, 1st (champions)

The Huddersfield Town Development Squad are the reserve team of the Championship club Huddersfield Town. They play competitively as the Huddersfield Town Under 21s in the Professional Development League 2 Northern Division, of which they finished 1st in the 2013-14 season, but then proceeded to lose the nationwide play-off semi-final against Queens Park Rangers.

Huddersfield Town are represented at Under 18 level by the Huddersfield Town Academy. The Academy compete in the U18 Professional Development League 2 North Division, of which they finished 1st in the 2013-14 season, and subsequently won the nationwide play-off final against Crewe Alexandra, becoming champions of the 2013–14 U18 Professional Development League 2. They also reached the quarter finals of last season's FA Youth Cup, losing 2-1 at eventual runners-up Fulham.

Home games for both sides are played at the club's training ground, Canalside, with the exception of some Development Squad fixtures, and FA Youth Cup games, which are played at the first team's John Smith's Stadium.

Development Squad

Huddersfield Town Football Club Under-21s also known as the Huddersfield Town Development Squad is the most senior level of Huddersfield Town’s youth development and the club's former reserve team. They play in League 2 North of the Professional Development League. The team is effectively Huddersfield Town’s second-string side, but is limited to three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2012–13 season. They were four times Central League Champions as the Reserve Team but withdrew form formal reserve team competition 2009-10 season, and have been replaced by the Huddersfield Town Development Squad, playing a number of arranged friendlies during the season until 2012-13 season.

History

Reserve Team Years

The Huddersfield Town reserves competed in The Central League Division One East until the 2009-10 season when the Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark chose not to enter a reserve team in the Central League during the 2010-11 season, instead planning a series of high quality friendlies. Clark stated that "the idea of reserve team football is to bridge the gap between youth team and first team football" and that "[we] have faced a lot of very young sides in the reserve league this season and that will not provide our own young professionals with the test they need".[1]

Whilst playing at reserve league level, the reserves split their home games between A.F.C. Emley's Welfare Ground and the Galpharm Stadium.

First team coach Paul Stephenson was the last serving reserve team manager.

Development Squad (2009-2012)

Lee Clark saw through his idea to discontinue the reserve team, and subsequently created the club's Development Squad, to be managed by Development Coach Steve Watson. Following a behind closed doors game at Doncaster Rovers, Watson described the team's games as "working very well", "from both perspectives - fitness for our first team squad members and as a way of integrating the younger players into a higher level of football."[2]

When Lee Clark left as manager of the first team on 15 February 2012, his coaching staff (including Watson) also left the club.[3] On 12 April 2012, the club appointed former Manchester City Elite Development Squad leader and Rochdale first team manager Steve Eyre as the club's Senior Professional Development Coach.[4]

Most fixtures have so far been played at the club's training ground, Canalside, but occasionally the Galpharm Stadium has been used to host Development Squad games that are open to the public.[5]

Professional Development League (2012-present)

From the 2012-13 season Huddersfield's development squad will compete in the newly formed Under 21 Professional Development League in the League 2 North Division, the league was set up as part of the wide-reaching Elite Player Performance Plan, Town will be one of 12 clubs in the Category Two Northern section along with Crewe Alexandra, Barnsley, Birmingham City, Coventry City, Derby County, Leeds United, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan Athletic. The fixtures are set up to mirror those in the FA Premier Academy League for Under 18s.[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England GK Sam Guthrie
Republic of Ireland GK Tadgh Ryan
Poland GK Ed Wilczynski
34 Scotland DF Will Boyle
England DF Fraser Horsfall
Republic of Ireland DF Danny Kane
England DF Jack Senior
England DF Joe Wilkinson (on loan at Hyde United)
Wales DF Joe Wright (on loan at Accrington Stanley)
No. Position Player
29 Denmark MF Philip Billing
England MF Callum Charlton
England MF Ben Holmes
19 United States MF Duane Holmes
32 Norway MF Sondre Tronstad
36 Albania FW Flo Bojaj
Wales FW Jake Charles
Scotland FW Liam Coogans (on loan at Queen of the South)
Republic of Ireland FW Ronan Coughlan

Honours

Academy

The role of the Huddersfield Town Academy is to develop players and their abilities to their full potential for the club's first team.[7] The Academy has produced a number of players including former England under-21 players Andy Booth and Jon Stead, former Irish Under 21 internationals Michael Collins and James Berrett as well as Nathan Clarke who mad 300 appearances for the first team as well as current first teamers Tom Clarke, Alex Smithies, Liam Ridehalgh and Jack Hunt.[8] The Academy are currently managed by former Town player and youth coach Mark Lillis, who took over from long standing former manager Graham Mitchell in 2011.[9]

History

Future

After the arrival of current Chairman Dean Hoyle in the summer of 2009, an overall development of every aspect of Huddersfield Town including the Academy. The main development taking place with regards to the Academy is the current redevelopment of the Club's new training complex, Canalside. The project will conclude with the Academy players training alongside their first team counterparts for the first time at a high quality, purpose-built facility.[10]

Current Academy Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England GK Owen Brooke
England DF Harry Clibbens
England DF Dylan Cogill
England DF Callum Elliott
35 England DF Jacob Hanson
England MF Regan Booty
England MF Jack Boyle
England MF Luca Colville
England MF Lewis O'Brien
No. Position Player
England MF Adam Porritt
England MF Alphie Raw
England MF Jamie Spencer
Republic of Ireland MF Sam Warde
Australia FW Adam Edgar
England FW Akeel Francis
England FW Rekeil Pyke
England FW Cedwyn Scott

[11]

Current Academy Staff

Position Staff
Development Coach Steve Eyre
Academy Manager Mark Lillis
Assistant Academy Manager Graham Yates
Academy Head of Recruitment Steve Smith
U18's Manager Frankie Bunn
U18's Coach Tony Carss
Academy Goalkeeper Coach Nick Colgan
Head of Athletic Development & Sports Science Dan Hughes
Education & Welfare Officer Karen Crosland
Academy Physio Steve Redmond

Last updated: 24 May 2012
Source: Who's Who

Recent academy graduates

Academy graduates who still play for Huddersfield, including those that are currently out on loan to other clubs, are highlighted in green.

Appearances and goals are those in competitive fixtures for Huddersfield Town.

Player Current Club Born International Honours Debut Apps Goals Manager
Flo Bojaj Huddersfield Town Kosovo Kosovo Albania Albania U-17 Age 19 v MK Dons (h), 20 October 2015 7 1 Chris Powell
Joe Wilkinson Huddersfield Town (on loan at Bradford Park Avenue) England Dewsbury Age 19 v Blackburn Rovers (h), 25 April 2015 1 0
Jake Charles Huddersfield Town England Leeds Wales Wales U-21 Age 19 v Fulham (h), 21 March 2015 1 0
Will Boyle Huddersfield Town (on loan at York City) England Leeds Age 19 v Reading (h), 24 February 2015 2 0
Matt Crooks Accrington Stanley England Leeds Age 20 v A.F.C. Bournemouth (h), 9 August 2014 1 0 Mark Robins
Philip Billing Huddersfield Town Denmark Denmark Denmark Denmark U-19 Age 17 v Leicester City (h), 26 April 2014 10 1
Duane Holmes Huddersfield Town United States Atlanta Age 18 v Hull City (a), 24 September 2013 26 1
Jordan Sinnott Altrincham England Bradford Age 18 v Leicester City (h), 26 January 2013 5 0 Mark Lillis
Jimmy Spencer Notts County England Leeds Age 20 v Preston North End (a), 13 August 2012 2 0 Simon Grayson
Aidan Chippendale Stalybridge Celtic England Bradford Age 18 v Bristol Rovers (a), 12 March 2011 1 0 Lee Clark
Jack Hunt Crystal Palace (on loan at Sheffield Wednesday) England Rothwell Age 20 v Colchester United (h), 23 January 2011 121 4
Chris Atkinson Crewe Alexandra England Halifax Age 18 v Macclesfield Town (h), 27 November 2010 13 1
Liam Ridehalgh Tranmere Rovers England Halifax Age 19 v Charlton Athletic (h), 28 August 2010 26 0
Simon Eastwood Blackburn Rovers England Luton England England U-19 Age 19 v Leyton Orient (a), 2 May 2009 1 0
Alex Smithies Queens Park Rangers England Huddersfield England England U-19 Age 17 v Southend United (a), 5 December 2007 274 0 Andy Ritchie
Daniel Broadbent Mossley England Leeds England England U-16 Age 17 v Tranmere Rovers (a), 26 October 2007 6 0
Shane Killock Hyde United England Huddersfield Age 18 v Crewe Alexandra (a), 7 September 2007 1 0
Lucas Akins Burton Albion England Huddersfield Age 18 v Northampton Town (a), 27 April 2007 6 0
James Berrett York City England Halifax Republic of Ireland Rep. Ireland U-21 Age 18 v Oldham Athletic (a), 7 April 2007 41 2 Gerry Murphy
Danny Racchi Hyde United England Elland Age 19 v Port Vale (h), 31 March 2007 6 0
Joe Skarz Oxford United England Huddersfield Age 17 v Scunthorpe United (h), 4 November 2006 81 1 Peter Jackson
James Hand Kingscourt Harps Republic of Ireland Magheracloone Republic of Ireland Rep. Ireland U-21 Age 18 v Boston United (a), 19 October 2005 2 0
Aaron Hardy Farsley England South Elmsall Age 19 v Boston United (a), 19 October 2005 19 0
Matty Young Frickley Athletic England Leeds Age 19 v Walsall (h), 15 October 2005 42 2
Michael Collins Oxford United England Halifax Republic of Ireland Rep. Ireland U-21 Age 18 v Blackpool (h), 19 February 2005 197 22
Tom Clarke Preston North End England Halifax England England U-19 Age 17 v MK Dons (a), 12 February 2005 112 3
John McAliskey Royal Dolphins England Huddersfield Republic of Ireland Rep. Ireland U-21 Age 19 v Macclesfield Town (h), 13 March 2004 48 8
Anthony Lloyd Ossett Town England Taunton Age 19 v Leyton Orient (h), 27 September 2003 51 3
Adnan Ahmed Nelson England Burnley Pakistan Pakistan Age 19 v Rochdale (a), 16 September 2003 45 2
Andy Holdsworth Barnsley (Coach) England Pontefract Age 19 v Bristol Rovers (h), 30 August 2003 261 8
John McCombe York City England Pontefract Age 17 v Oldham Athletic (h), 3 May 2003 20 0 Mel Machin
David Mirfin Scunthorpe United England Sheffield Age 18 v Oldham Athletic (h), 3 May 2003 179 12
Phil Senior F.C. Halifax Town England Huddersfield Age 20 v Crewe Alexandra (a), 18 January 2003 57 0 Mick Wadsworth
Nat Brown Lincoln City England Sheffield Age 21 v Northampton Town (a), 14 September 2002 84 0
Paul Scott Free Agent England Wakefield Age 22 v Peterborough United (a), 17 August 2002 37 2
Jon Worthington F.C. Halifax Town England Dewsbury Age 19 v Plymouth Argyle (a), 13 August 2002 237 14
Jon Stead Notts County England Huddersfield England England U-21 Age 19 v Brentford (h), 10 August 2002 100 27
Nathan Clarke Bradford City England Halifax Age 18 v Stoke City (a), 8 September 2001 299 10 Lou Macari
Michael Senior Ossett Albion England Huddersfield Age 18 v Notts County (h), 14 September 1999 4 0 Steve Bruce
Dwayne Mattis Free Agent England Huddersfield Republic of Ireland Rep. Ireland U-21 Age 17 v Crystal Palace (a), 1 May 1999 81 3 Peter Jackson
Michael Midwood Ealandians (Manager) England Huddersfield Age 21 v Oxford United (a), 9 August 1997 1 0 Brian Horton
Delroy Facey Albion Sports England Huddersfield Grenada Grenada Age 16 v Portsmouth (h), 15 March 1997 86 15

Information in the above table is correct as of 01 April 2016

References

  1. "Reserves withdraw from Totesport.com League". htafc.com. 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  2. "Development Game Played In Donny". htafc.com. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  3. "Lee Clark - A Club Statement". htafc.com. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  4. "Eyre Appointed Development Coach". htafc.com. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  5. "Open Development Game Today". htafc.com. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  6. http://www.examiner.co.uk/huddersfield-town-fc/huddersfield-town-news/2012/08/15/86081-31624519/?
  7. "HTFC Academy - Our Ethos". htafcacademy.com. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  8. "HTFC Academy - Academy Alumni". htafcacademy.com. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  9. "Huddersfield Town's new academy manager is Mark Lillis". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
  10. http://www.htafcacademy.com/history.php?id=future
  11. "2014/15 Academy Scholars Confirmed". htafc.com. 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
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