Youth, Reserves and Ladies 2014-15

[Matt Collins]

From what I've seen Burke won't make it here

[dave.woodhall]

U-18 league play-offs.
Villa U-18s 3 Manchester City U-18s 1

There's a decent report at the top of this page. http://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forum/gforum.cgi?post=663769;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

[PeterWithesShin]

For anyone interested, highlights of the Villa Ladies winning 4-1 at Durham

[Matt Collins]

If we do win the cup and get into the Europa league we'll presumably use it to give some kids game time. Do we have enough of them in the pipeline?

I imagine Gardner and Robinson would get chances, but Gardner in particular would presumably be close to match day squads anyway

Who else? Steer perhaps?  Donacien and toner at CB? kinsella LB? Green, Hepburn-Murphy and Burke in attack?

There seem quite a lot of names bandied about. But our youth team results seem worse nowadays after seeming to be always top of the league. Might in part reflect more use of loans out which I agree wth

[ADVILLAFAN]

If we do win the cup and get into the Europa league we'll presumably use it to give some kids game time. Do we have enough of them in the pipeline?

I imagine Gardner and Robinson would get chances, but Gardner in particular would presumably be close to match day squads anyway

Who else? Steer perhaps?  Donacien and toner at CB? kinsella LB? Green, Hepburn-Murphy and Burke in attack?

There seem quite a lot of names bandied about. But our youth team results seem worse nowadays after seeming to be always top of the league. Might in part reflect more use of loans out which I agree wth

I always liked Siegrist better than Steer, although he's just broken his leg.

[paul_e]

If we do win the cup and get into the Europa league we'll presumably use it to give some kids game time. Do we have enough of them in the pipeline?

I imagine Gardner and Robinson would get chances, but Gardner in particular would presumably be close to match day squads anyway

Who else? Steer perhaps?  Donacien and toner at CB? kinsella LB? Green, Hepburn-Murphy and Burke in attack?

There seem quite a lot of names bandied about. But our youth team results seem worse nowadays after seeming to be always top of the league. Might in part reflect more use of loans out which I agree wth

I think it's also partly that we keep a team together for 2 years so we tend to do worse every other season because we're playing first year academy kids against sides who are using mostly 2nd year kids.  I don't know if that's the case this year but it has been in the past, it's one of the reasons we've won a lot of stuff at that level because our teams get longer to gel than most.

[footyskillz]

On talk sport now Aston Villa ladies manager

[Legion]

They won today.

[Legion]

Aston Villa U13s 10 Tottenham Hotspur U13s 2

Cam with just one goal today but he had to play in three different positions over the course of the game in order to incorporate and accommodate other players.

[silhillvilla]

Aston Villa U13s 10 Tottenham Hotspur U13s 2

Cam with just one goal today but he had to play in three different positions over the course of the game in order to incorporate and accommodate other players.

Good to see the future is in rude health.
Do those games get played on the fields of bodymoor ?

[Legion]

Yes.

[TheMalandro]

I wish I lived closer, I'd love to watch the junior teams.

[PeterWithesShin]

Lewis Kinsella and Riccardo Calder are among the young claret and blue hopefuls going for glory in this weekend's Hong Kong International Soccer 7s.

The duo - who have both featured in Villa first team squads this season - are part of the 10-man squad that arrived in the Far East today.

Club legend Gordon Cowans and U21 development coach Stuart Taylor will take charge of the young Villa side in the tournament which takes place at Hong Kong Football Club on Saturday and Sunday.

There is a return to Hong Kong for young striker Jerell Sellars - who played at the 2013 event - and Tom Leggett and Harry McKirdy who were in last year's squad.

Goalkeeper Brad Watkins, midfielder Rory Hale, centre-backs Kodi Lyons-Foster and Niall Mason and wideman Corey Taylor will make their Soccer 7s debuts.

Villa will begin their campaign in Group C on Saturday against hosts Hong Kong Football Club [10.25am HK time/3.25am UK time], before facing another local side Hong Kong FA U18s [12.07pm HK/5.07am UK] and New Zealand outfit Wellington Phoenix [1.32pm HK/6.32am UK].

The knockout stages take place on Sunday when Villa could come up against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Newcastle, Stoke, Leicester and West Ham.

Villa have earned a glowing reputation in Hong Kong, having triumphed at the Soccer 7s in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2010, as well as being runners-up in 2006 and 2012.

The club has also provided the player of the tournament on six occasions - Jonathan Brewer [2002], Stephen Cooke [2004], Gabby Agbonlahor [2006], Zoltan Stieber [2007], Barry Bannan [2008] and Daniel Johnson [2012].

Jack Grealish has also topped the scoring Soccer 7s scoring charts two years in a row. 

Marc Albrighton, Ciaran Clark, Andreas Weimann, Chris Herd, Craig Gardner and Liam Ridgewell are among those to have represented the claret and blues in past editions of the competition.

VILLA SQUAD: Watkins, Leggett, Kinsella (c), Mason, Lyons-Foster, Hale, Taylor, Calder, Sellars, McKirdy.

Main Tournament Draw

Group A: Newcastle United (ENG), Leicester City (ENG), HK Premier League Club 1 (HKG), Singapore Cricket Club (SIN)
Group B: West Ham United (ENG), Kitchee (HKG), Shanghai SIPG (CHN), HKFC Captain's Select (HKG)
Group C: Aston Villa (ENG), Wellington Phoenix (NZL), HK Premier League Club 2 (HKG), Hong Kong Football Club (HKG)
Group D: Stoke City (ENG), Atletico Madrid (SPA), HKFA U-20 (HKG), Yau Yee League Select (HKG)

[Matt Collins]

I don't really get the soccer sevens thing? It's not a particularly reliable testing ground

[Dave Cooper please]

There's nothing to get. It's just an end of season tournament for our yoof that we tend to do particularly well in.
Interesting that Grealish got top scorer twice though, tends to point to the theory that once he finally tucks one in he will become the goalscoring midfielder that he was right through his youth career.