ACADEMY: Five reasons to be optimistic in 2023-24

It seems crazy that the 2023-24 campaign is almost here but for this week’s academy column, I want to share with you five reasons why I’m excited for the new academy season. These include general points and also specific individuals: 

1) Under-18s attacking depth 

With the two academy sides this season, it feels like the squad personnel has reversed, with the U18s being stacked with squad depth whilst the U21s have a more condensed squad. 

There was no hiding from the fact that the U18s struggled for goals last season. They ended the campaign as the third-lowest goalscorers across the North and South U18s Premier League, mainly due to the stylistic nature of the U18s team, which placed emphasis on counter-attacking play. In addition, the U18s struggled for confidence and leaked numerous goals, which in turn led to them sitting back and absorbing pressure. 

However, due to some under-16s transitioning into the U18s for the new season, the squad has freshened up, with hopefully a more positive mindset developing. This feels like it can particularly be applied to the U18s attackers, as they’ve started off by scoring nine goals in two games during pre-season. Context is still important though in terms of opponents, with Diss Town and Charlton Athletic U18s being among their opponents so far. 

But regardless of the calibre of the opposition the U18s have faced, the brightness of the Norwich strikers looks promising with positive movements at the forefront of it. It’s important this trend continues into the new league season as it will help the U18s be more fluid in possession with the midfield and the attack continuously combining rather than working as separate entities. 

Alex Roberts, Pedro Amadou, and Elliot Myles will be the individuals tasked with contributing the majority of goals this season, as they are the strikers likely to play the most minutes. But the exuberance of Damari Daley, and Lasean Sealey will keep the pressure on the starting strikers, with these two first-year scholars eager to impress. 

2) Elliot Myles

As mentioned above, Myles will be a candidate to score plenty of goals this season. 

After captaining the Wales U16s team last season, as well as playing for the England U16s, it’s obvious to conclude that he arrives as a first-year scholar with considerable pedigree, With some of his assists and goals last season you could definitely see the international quality in his game. Examples include an accurate long outside-of-the-boot through ball, to Michael Reindorf, which he tucked home successfully. 

_{Elliot Myles playing against Diss Town. Credit: Diss Town website}

If I had to pick a phrase to describe Elliot’s game, it would be ‘positive intent’, given the way he tries to impose that on a game. His awareness and vision are phenomenal as they allow him to execute adventurous through balls, which strikers relish. His knack for releasing the ball so quickly is mesmerizing at times, as, on most occasions, it only takes him two touches to progress the ball up the pitch. 

In addition to that, Myles has a killer instinct in front of goal, which will hopefully give the U18s cutting edge going into the new season. He has a big tendency to aim for the corners with immense power and it brings him a huge degree of success, often managing to get his shot away early. 

My excitement levels of what Myles can become at Norwich are high, due to his abundance of attacking quality. There will definitely be many spectacular goals for the cameras this season. 

3) The new league format

The U21s league will be different compared to the previous seasons, with one big league replacing two divisions. The league will be made up of 26 Category 1 academies, with each team playing 20 games, and the top 16 qualifying through to a knockout phase. 

The benefits of this new league format from Norwich’s perspective is that they will experience playing tougher opponents, which gives them extra motivation to perform to a higher standard. This will potentially lead to the Canaries playing in big stadiums across the season. 

Also, this new league format will heighten the competitive edge as over half of the league will be eligible to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, therefore reducing the amount of ‘dead rubber’ matches.

Across the season, there are expected to be home games at Carrow Road, which gives the opportunity for the U21s to play in front of crowds. This is important, as there are a significant number of players in the U21s group who haven’t yet played at Carrow Road. 

4) Gabriel Forysth 

Forsyth was a summer signing from Hamilton Academicals. He is a 16-year-old midfielder, who is poised to accumulate plenty of minutes for the U21s this season playing as a central midfielder. Forsyth has already scored for the U21s, with a composed finish into the right corner against Mulbarton. 

Gabriel has been used as a box-to-box midfielder throughout pre-season and has started in all of the U21s games so far. He has shown a willingness to be the player that receives the ball from the central defenders, while also being the player that connects the ball from the midfield to the strikers. 

Let’s not forget, Forsyth – despite him playing in the U21s – is only 16 years old, meaning he’s two or three years younger than most of his teammates. It makes for interesting viewing as the maturity of his decision-making may, at times, not be aligned with that of his older teammates.

The unknown factor of what Forsyth can bring across the season brings a sense of intrigue and excitement about what’s to come. 

5) Finley Welch

In my opinion, Finley Welch is, right now, the most exciting and most promising player in the academy. Ever since he’s been moved from the central defensive midfield position he’s played his best football. 

The element of his game that makes him enthralling to watch is the manner in which he drives with the ball at pace. He glides past defenders at ease and often the only way the opposition can stop is by fouling him. 

^{Finley Welch in the 23/24 new home kit. Credit: @finleywelch – Instagram}

Moreover, Welch always plays with his head up, meaning he’s able to find his teammates at the correct time. Although the final pass can be inconsistent at times, his ability to find his teammates in forward positions is there for all to see. 

I’m excited to watch Welch this season as I’m confident he’ll bring his performance levels from last season into this one. I had slight doubts if Welch may struggle against physically stronger opponents but he proved with the U21s last season that he can flourish in this age group. 

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