Thirty-three tourists from U14 to U18 joined the trip to the world-class training facilities at Manchester City. On arrival the boys were given a brief tour of the Academy Campus and then went straight into a fast-paced training session on the 1st team indoor 4G pitch. The sessions focused on a set pattern of ball retention, confident possession, rapid ball movement and using the ball quickly to advance around and up the pitch.
Kitted out in Manchester City training kit, the application and intensity shown from the boys was palpable, and that carried through into each session.
Progress was rapid and it was clear to see individuals and squads make significant gains during these sessions.
There was very little downtime. Following a further training session on Thursday, we managed to squeeze in a visit to ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ for a stadium tour of Old Trafford, an educational lecture there and a foray into the museum. An evening of bowling saw Theo Alexis (P) crowned this year’s champion, and we even managed to catch the second half of the Liverpool v Manchester City six-pointer on TV, much to Mr Telfer-Mason’s disappointment.
Friday saw an early morning and early afternoon set of training sessions building on the earlier work, before heading to Egerton FC Youth to play their U15s and U18s under floodlights in the evening. Both matches clearly demonstrated how much the boys had learnt, and the significant progress they had made.
The U15s capped off the tour with a 5-1 win, with goals from Jaami Qureshi (P) (2) and Kit Temperley (Rn) (3). The U18s had a very physical encounter in their match and showed great resilience to bring home a 1-0 win with and poacher’s finish from Sam Kirby (P).
Most improved Seniors – Theo Alexis (P) and Tom Lynagh (F)
Most Improved Junior – Bryn Cann (Fa)
The boys conduct was beyond exemplary and everyone who encountered them commented on what a credit they were to their school, their teachers and coaches. My thanks to Rob Seale, Chris Telfer-Mason and Damian Shirazi for their support in making this an exceptional pre-season training camp.
Mr Mike Day, Head of Football
