With the first team playing away in Middlesbrough last Friday night, I had the opportunity to travel down to London, to watch the Under-18s play Crystal Palace. With the U18s failing to pick up a point since December, my hopes for a positive result were limited but I was proved wrong with a spirited performance […]
ACADEMY: Alex Matos to Chelsea?
In my time covering the Norwich City academy, Alex Matos has always been portrayed as one of its top talents. This was also the case at Luton Town where he always played with older age groups prior to joining Norwich. But not only was he seen as one of City’s brightest prospects, England thought highly […]
ACADEMY: From 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-1-2, the Under-18s are taking a different path
The general assumption about academy football is that it’s a stepping stone to the first team, and so ideas and philosophies within the club are all connected. However, the 4-3-1-2 formation used by the Under-18s has absolutely no correlation to how the first team plays. So why is it frequently used? Despite this season containing […]
ACADEMY: All change in the Under-21s striking department
City’s Under-21s have had a promising season so far and currently lie in 3rd place – contesting the automatic promotion spot. Ten points from their last four games have propelled them from play-off contenders to candidates for automatic promotion. But this position is all too familiar to the Canaries, as they spent the majority of […]
ACADEMY – January report card for the Under-18s and Under-U21s
Despite some setbacks, 2022 was a hugely encouraging year for the young Canaries, with them making it into their first-ever PL2 Division 2 Play-Off campaign and many players committing their futures to the club. However, the most satisfying thing was seeing Jon Rowe, Jon Tomkinson, Tony Springett and Liam Gibbs making their full debuts for […]
ACADEMY – Finley Welch, an artistic central midfielder with a promising future
City’s Under-18s have been thoroughly enjoyable to watch so far this season. Each player in the team brings their own personality to the table and collectively they have produced some good matchday performances. One player in particular who has shone is central midfielder, Finley Welch. We saw glimpses of his flair last season but not […]
ACADEMY: A draw with West Brom and defeat at Forest for City’s Under21s
City’s Under-U21s have had an impressive start to the season, and after eight games were unbeaten after collecting 16 points. It left them in second place, six points behind league leaders, Leeds United, with City the only team to have taken points from them. Throughout Leeds’ Premier League 2 campaign, they have used a high […]
ACADEMY: Early days, but promising signs for the Under-18s
The Under-18s have had a positive start to their league campaign and currently sit in fourth place. Two wins, one draw, and one defeat have enhanced the mood for the games ahead. The U18s are in three different competitions this season, the league ([U18 Premier League South] and two cups [U18 Premier League Cup and […]
ACADEMY: Sky’s the limit for Kamara
We’re only four games into the U21s season, and Abu Kamara’s goal-scoring form is scintillating. He is joint top of the goalscoring charts in the league this season, demonstrating his continued composure in front of goal. Topping the goalscoring chart is doubly impressive as Abu hasn’t started in the striker role this season, compared to […]
ACADEMY: A good start for City’s Under-21s
Similarly to last season, the Under-21s have made a bright start to their league campaign. Eight points from four games is a good start, and it provides a platform for a successful campaign. Premier League 2 Division 2 is a hard league to get out of as only one team gets promoted automatically and teams […]
ACADEMY: Grit, mentality and glimpses of quality
The academy fixtures are now underway, for both the U18sand U21s. Both age groups had successful weeks, with the U18s winning their season opener against West Brom, in the Midlands, while the U21s contained Leeds to get a useful point away from home. Here is what we learned this week… U18s make a promising start […]
ACADEMY: The outlook for 2022-23
The new academy season is upon us. The Under-21s season started last Friday at home to Sunderland (at Colney), whilst the Under-18s kick-off their season away to West Bromwich Albion this week. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to document the academy season with MFW, and hopefully educate our readers on NCFC’s stars for the […]
Is 2022-23 going to be Jon Rowe’s breakthrough season?
The demoralising trip to Crystal Palace on the 28 December last year feels like a long time ago, but one positive recollection of that day was Jon Rowe making his professional debut for City. Throughout the second half of last season, Rowe went on to demonstrate considerable promise, which gave the fans something to cling […]
NCFC ACADEMY: Central defence is an area of strength from Under-16s to Under-23s
The pleasing news of Andrew Omobamidele signing a new contract until the summer of 2026, is yet more evidence of the continued success of the Club’s academy. Omobamidele is a perfect role model for any City academy player – progressing through the ranks from the Under-16s level to the first team. Not only is his […]
An action-packed season for City’s Under-23s, one that so nearly ended in glory
A season that had so much potential for City’s Under-23s was cruelly ended after a gruelling penalty shootout defeat in Wolverhampton last Tuesday. Wolves were always going to be a tricky opponent but in reality, the 23s shouldn’t have been facing them in the semi-final. The Canaries spent the majority of the season in second […]
City have more crown jewels in waiting but they need to be nurtured correctly
‘Crown jewels’ was a frequently used term in the summer of 2020 when Norwich were at risk of losing Todd Cantwell, Jamal Lewis, Max Aarons, Emi Buendia and Ben Godfrey. In the end, City lost two of them in that summer – Jamal Lewis and Ben Godfrey – which brought £40m into the club. Then […]