Academy players from the Under 8 age group were invited as guests to the last home game of the season against Carlisle United and they marked the occasion by signing their first contracts with the club.

The seven boys were accompanied by their parents as they also had a tour of the ground and saw behind the scenes on a matchday, before being joined by players from the Academy Under 9s to walk out with the first team prior to kick off.

Both sets of boys then entertained the crowd with their footballing skills as they played 4-a-side games on the pitch at half time.

Academy FDP Lead Coach Lee Foyle was full of praise for the boys. “The Under 8s were selected from in excess of 100 players, which we monitored in that age group during the season.” He said. 

“This was through Open Day Trials, Development Centres and from an Elite squad which was picked to play against opposition from other local teams. Each one of the players we have signed has worked extremely hard to earn their contract and they deserve to be congratulated for their efforts.”

The Club wishes the boys success as they develop through the ranks at the Academy and hope that this is the beginning of a bright future in the game for everyone of them.