ACADEMY: Two Under-23 players head out on loan. What will they take to League 2?

Norwich Under-23s had a successful Premier League 2 Division 2 campaign in 2021-22, meaning some players heading into this summer would attract interest from clubs across the Football League.

Flynn Clarke and Saxon Earley are the first players from that group to test themselves away from development football this coming season, with others projected to follow the same path. 

This article will focus on what Clarke and Earley will bring to their respective League Two clubs.

First of all Saxon Earley, who completed a move to Stevenage…

The season before last was difficult for Earley. He was out for a significant amount of time, meaning he was unable to put in consistent performances -something the academy coaches look for. However, being the resolute character he is, he stepped up majorly last season – being one of the most important players in the 23s side. 

One positive element of Saxon’s game is his versatility. He had played a large proportion of his academy years in midfield, but now his best position is in the balance after an impressive season at left back. 

Following on from a tough 2020-21 injury-inflicted campaign, he came back last season with a healthy return of approximately 2400 minutes – only two other players accumulated more minutes. Not only does that eliminate him from the injury-prone tag, it shows a high level of motivation to get back to his best self.

Saxon has various qualities that align with League Two football, one of which is his effectiveness at winning one-on-one battles with opposing wingers. He has got a good build for age, meaning it gives him a physical advantage in terms of winning the ball against tricky wingers.

One game in particular which showcased his strength, and effectiveness at winning one-on-one battles, was against West Brom in the early stages of last season. The Baggies were regarded as one of the most physically strongest teams in the division when they came to King’s Lynn’s The Walks, and Saxon matched up to them magnificently, attracting praise from coach Alan Neilson after that impressive performance.

That side to his game continued throughout the whole season – something which I’d imagine Stevenage were impressed by. 

Moreover, Saxon has got great energy levels which is very useful for going into a physically demanding League Two campaign.

There were many occasions last season when the schedule was tight. There were certain weeks, in which the players would only get two days of rest between matches but despite it seeming brutal, it was great preparation for the players as the scheduling is just as demanding in league football.

Another factor to consider, around Saxon’s and Flynn’s upcoming loan experiences, is that the games are more intense, meaning their bodies might not be in peak condition weekly.

To counteract that, there are still some raw elements in Saxon’s game that need refining. Despite his fantastic defensive traits, there are still technical limitations on the ball. Towards the end of the season, Saxon’s ball-playing abilities were limited due to him being loose on the ball.

With League Two having some teams who like to dominate possession, it’s even more imperative that when Saxon plays against those teams, he uses the ball effectively. He’ll learn the importance of keeping the ball at first-team level because any mistake could be costly..

However, this loan move has made me question the criteria the club uses when opting which players out. With Saxon’s technical game being a little raw at the moment, I believe it would have been best to keep him at Colney until January. Keeping him in-house would have enabled him to train with better technical players. 

Instead, the club took the view that he would benefit from a loan move to a direct side in Stevenage, and Saxon will offer them various solutions such as his tenacity, effectiveness to win the ball back, high energy levels and versatility.

But The Boro are in a dismal situation. They finished last season just nine points outside the relegation zone, and have had a poor few seasons. In 2019-20, they only avoided relegation on the points-per-game method while sitting in the relegation zone with 10 matches to go.

In 2020-21, there was an improvement, finishing 16th, albeit just 15 points clear of the drop zone but last season was again a difficult one. There are, however, reasons to be optimistic.

In March, Steve Evans – the former Leeds United manager – took over with the team in the relegation zone, and in the midst of an 11-game winless run. Stevenage went on to win four of their last seven games and avoided relegation, leapfrogging Barrow AFC and Oldham Athletic.

So far in pre-season, they have beaten Championship side West Brom 2-0, League One Derby 1-0, and remained unbeaten in their other four games, winning three. 

Evans has opted to use a 3-5-2 since taking over, so it’ll be interesting to see how Earley fits into that system. As stated above, he’s played the majority of his career in central midfield, but perhaps enjoyed his best season of development football to date at left-back.

In a 2-0 friendly win against St Albans City, Stevenage used a 4-4-2 (diamond) with Earley starting on the left side of defence. Against Peterborough, Stevenage drew 1-1, and Earley came on in central midfield – the loanee’s versatility already proving useful.

For Stevenage, the main aim has to be survival. The bookies have them as one of the favourites to go down, so it’ll be a really good learning curve for Saxon.

Experience at a level where players are on the verge of non-league and have to survive will raise his levels of professionalism and qualities on the pitch.

For Flynn Clarke, his new temporary home will be Walsall last week, where he’ll play under a progressive manager in Micheal Flynn. 

Clarke played in a variety of positions last season including central midfield, attacking midfielder, and as a striker. He played to a good standard in all those positions, which demonstrates the quality of player he is.

Clarke found the start to last season tough with a minor injury ruling him out for the first month. This meant that he found it difficult to make an immediate impact immediately, which he would have hoped for.

In his first game as a Norwich player, he played as a classic central midfielder – wanting to progress the play whilst being committed to his defensive duties. Flynn played fairly well in that position, but it didn’t maximise his technical quality.

From November onwards, he exploded into life as soon as he was moved up into an attacking midfield role. Eleven goals and five assists was his overall tally. That position suits Flynn perfectly, as his game is all about playing on the half turn, and getting in between the lines, which allows him to create goal-scoring opportunities.

While deployed in that role, he formulated a partnership with Tony Springett who often played as a left-winger o second striker. They combined for at least five goals last season which helped galvanise the 23s play-off place. 

Furthermore, Clarke was also utilised as a striker last season. He was implemented there after the loan departure of Tom Dickson-Peters and the emergence of Jon Rowe in the first team. Although he was only there for a short space of time, he did a steady job which contributed to the U23s being top goalscorers in the league last season. 

One of his strengths is his technical quality in attacking areas. As the 2021-22 season progressed and every game grew in importance, Flynn stepped up and took responsibility by creating goals pivotal in them clinching a PL2 Division 2 Play-Off Place.

One example was when Clarke scored a vital goal to avoid defeat to Sunderland at home. The significance of that game was that all of the Under-23s star players were missing, meaning Flynn had to take up the responsibility to score goals.

He is predominantly right-footed, meaning he does the majority of his good technical work with that foot. He’s very effective at linking play, bringing his teammates into good positions, but more importantly using his footballing knowledge to release the right pass for different attacking situations. 

Moreover, Flynn was one of the players involved in taking set-pieces last season, due to that technical quality. Jon Rowe came onto @norwichyouth over last Christmas and described Flynn as one of the best set-piece takers amongst the group. He showcased his set-piece taking by scoring a wonderful goal away at Newcastle U23s, earning City a point. 

Another good quality of his is that he’s effective at creating partnerships with fellow teammates. As mentioned previously, he formed a partnership with Springett in which they combined for good quality goals. If he can follow the same trend as last season into this with Walsall, he could earn them vital points.

His game without the ball is maturing to. He’s an efficient presser of the ball who works tirelessly to contribute defensively for his team. He covered the most distance when he was deployed as a central midfielder, earlier on in the season but he will need time to adapt to the physical demands of League Two.

Dean Smith was reportedly instrumental in Clarke’s loan move to his former club. 

Smith made over 140 appearances for The Saddlers in his playing days and returned in 2009 as Head of Youth. In 2011, he was appointed manager, with his side nine points adrift, bottom of League One. Walsall ended the year a point clear of the drop – Dean had completed a Great Escape.

The next season, Walsall moved further away from the drop zone, coming 19th, and seven points clear of relegation. In 2013-14, they finished 13th. In Smith’s last full season, The Saddlers dropped to 14th, but reached the final of the EFL Trophy – their first appearance at Wembley.

That upward trajectory hasn’t continued since Dean’s departure, however. In 2019, Walsall were relegated to League Two, and a 12th-placed finish meant they would stay there for the first time in 25 years.

Things continued to deteriorate. In 2020-21, The Saddlers finished 19th, eight points above the drop zone. Last season they looked set to slide again when the Walsall board decided a change was needed.

They sacked manager Matthew Taylor, in February, with the club sitting in 21st. Michael Flynn took charge, and Walsall’s fortunes started to improve. They lost just one of their next nine and finished 16th.

Flynn Clarke has started in both of Walsall’s pre-season games since his arrival, playing as both a number 8 and a number 10. Forty-five minutes into his first match, Clarke managed an assist, chipping the ball into the six-yard box for a teammate to head home. Walsall won 2-0, and Clarke was off to a great start.

Walsall have the quality to finish in the top half this season, but there needs to be a culture shift from manager, Michael Flynn.

The club has been on the downhill for too long, and needs to get back to the basics and utilise their qualities. Walsall have a technical squad, which perfectly suits Clark’s talents – they just need to show a level of grit and strength to assert themselves in League Two.

It will be interesting to gauge the progress of both Clarke and Earley over the coming ten months.