2025/26 SUFC SEASON REVIEW / SCHOOL REPORT - Part 7: Academy, Development and Women

[Deadbat]

Academy / Development side and Women



Academy / Development side

A huge thanks to @goodpinch (twitter handle) for his help in this section – this year it is entirely down to his work below. I have not seen a single U21 or U18 game – just highlights and read the reports so really do need to rely on others here! His work is incredible and the level of detail he goes to is astonishing. So please check him out on X. If there is anything you need to know about young Blades teams/players, then he is your man!

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Blades Academy Review 2025/2026​

The Blades continued to run an Elite Player Performance Plan (“EPPP”) Category 2 academy in the Premier League’s Professional Development League. Del Geary continued in the role of academy lead.

During the summer of 2025 Birmingham City, Burnley and Ipswich Town received Category 1 status. Huddersfield Town received Category 2 status after an eight season absence, moving from Category 3. The net effect on Category 2 was a reduction in two clubs to 20.

The EPPP was split into three phases:

· Professional Development for U17 to U21 cohorts
· Youth Development for U12 to U16 cohorts
· Foundation for U9 to U11 cohorts

This review covers competitions within the Professional Development Phase where information is more publically available.

Gary McSheffrey started his second season as lead for the older age competitions but following his move into a first team coaching role in November, one-time Blades goalkeeper, George Willis, took over. Jim O’Brien remained as lead for the younger age competitions for a second season.

The Blades entered four Premier League Professional Development Phase competitions:

· Professional Development League
· Premier League Cup
· U18 Professional Development League
· U18 Premier League Cup

The club also entered the FA Youth Cup.


Competition Overviews

Professional Development League (“PDL”)

The PDL was the Category 2 league competition for players from the U16 to U21 cohorts although the keeper and up to three outfield players could be over age. It allowed for up to five named substitutes, all of whom could be used during a game.

For fixture purposes the clubs continued to be split into North and South regions, playing clubs from the same region home and away but playing clubs from the other region just once. As a North region club, the Blades played 18 games against the other nine North region clubs and ten games against the South region clubs resulting in a 28 league game season.

However, for the first time, all of the clubs were placed into one nationwide league rather than two regional ones. The club finishing first was crowned PDL winners. The clubs finishing in the top eight positions qualified for a knock-out competition alongside the eight Category 1 clubs finishing between 17th and 24th in their league, Premier League 2 (“PL2”), with the winners crowned PDL champions.

The Blades came into the campaign as North regional winners for the fifth successive season and after drawing their first game, won eight in a row to put themselves top of the new nationwide league. A slight dip in form saw a couple of defeats mixed in with three wins in the final games before the side took a break from league action to concentrate on cup games but their form across the whole first half of the season was enough to remain in pole position as 2025 came to a close.

However, the form dropped off significantly in the second half of the season with the Blades collecting an average of just 1.29 points per game compared to the first half of the season’s 2.43. This allowed several clubs to vie for top spot with Brentford eventually taking over and winning the inaugural national title. The Blades held off further competition to end the season as runners-up and best placed North region side for a sixth season in a row.

PDL​	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Brentford	28	18	4	6	67	34	33	55*
2	SHEFFIELD UNITED	28	15	7	6	58	39	19	52
3	AFC Bournemouth	28	16	2	10	67	47	20	50
4	Swansea City	28	14	6	8	69	50	19	48
5	Peterborough United	28	14	6	8	66	52	14	48
6	Huddersfield Town	28	14	6	8	59	50	9	48
7	Watford	28	12	9	7	69	53	16	45
8	Charlton Athletic	28	11	7	10	58	49	9	40
9	Cardiff City	28	11	7	10	48	39	9	40
10	Wigan Athletic	28	11	5	12	67	58	9	38
11	Hull City	28	10	7	11	49	52	-4	37
12	Barnsley	28	10	7	11	51	58	-7	37
13	Millwall	28	11	3	14	48	52	-4	36
14	Bristol City	28	10	5	13	45	54	-9	35
15	Coventry City	28	11	2	15	46	63	-17	35
16	Queens Park Rangers	28	8	9	11	51	61	-10	33
17	Sheffield Wednesday	28	8	6	14	49	63	-14	30
18	Colchester United	28	6	6	16	40	77	-37	24
19	Fleetwood Town	28	5	8	15	36	63	-27	23
20	Crewe Alexandra	28	5	8	15	41	69	-28	23

* Brentford received a 3 point deduction for breaching substitution rules


Their top four finish gave the Blades a home tie in the first round of the new cross-caregory playoffs. As PDL 2nd seeds they faced PL2 7th seeds Norwich CIty at Bramall Lane.


The Blades took an early lead through Dovydas Sasnauskas but the visitors came back into it and equalised late on. Two extra time goals gave the Canaries a 3-1 win, ending the U21 academy season for the Blades.

Sam Aston and Zach Giggs had the most starts with 23. Zach Giggs had the most overall appearances having been involved in all 29 games and had the most time on the pitch with 2178 minutes. Louie Marsh was the top scorer with 10 goals.

Premier League Cup (“PLC”
The Blades were once again invited to play in the PLC which, similar to the PDL, allowed players from the U16 to U21 cohorts although the keeper and up to three outfield players could be over age. Again, it allowed for up to five named substitutes, all of whom could be used during a game.

The competition was primarily for those Category 1 clubs not playing in UEFA youth competitions but with places for invited non-Category 1 clubs to make up the numbers. The competition provided a four club group phase of three home and three away games. The clubs finishing first and second in each group qualified for the knockout stage with a home and an away tie, respectively. The remaining two clubs did not continue in the competition.

The Blades were drawn in Group B with two Category 1 academies: Derby County and Stoke City, together with Category 2 academy Bristol City
The opening games saw the Blades defeat Derby County 2-1 at York before winning 2-1 again, away against Stoke City at Newcastle Town’s Lyme Valley Stadium. Frustration followed when Bristol City at home (frozen pitch at York) and Derby County away (waterlogged pitch at Matlock) were both postponed within a week. The Bristol City home fixture was quickly rearranged at York again and played in terrible conditions of heavy rain, swirling winds and very cold temperatures.The Blades were not at their best but made it three 2-1 wins out of three. The result meant Bristol City could no longer finish above the Blades.

The fourth game saw the home fixture against Stoke City played at York. A 4-2 win for the Blades meant the visitors could no longer catch them and qualification for the knockout stages was achieved with two games to go. The following day, Bristol City’s defeat of Derby County meant the Blades would finish top of the group and guarantee a home tie in the final 16

The penultimate group game took the Blades to the Robins High Performance Centre to play Bristol City away. The home side, needing to win to give themselves a chance of qualification, took a first half lead but the Blades equalised before half time and won it late on to make it five wins out of five and register a fourth 2-1 win in the group stage.

The final group game was the rearranged fixture away to Derby County, this time at Alfreton Town’s North Street ground, with the hosts needing a draw to leapfrog Stoke City into second place and progress to the knockout stages. A frozen pitch meant the fixture was hastily moved to Derby County’s training facility at Moor Farm. In freezing cold temperatures plus heavy winds and rain the Blades were second best for most of the game but pulled off yet another 2-1 win to make it a full set of six wins. Defeat for the hosts meant Stoke City qualified in second place.

PLC Group B​	P​	W​	D​	L​	F​	A​	GD​	Pts​
1 ​	SHEFFIELD UNITED	6 ​	6 ​	0 ​	0 ​	14 ​	7 ​	7 ​	18 ​
2 ​	Stoke City	6 ​	1 ​	3 ​	2 ​	10 ​	12 ​	-2 ​	6 ​
3 ​	Derby County	6 ​	1 ​	2 ​	3 ​	15 ​	12 ​	3 ​	5 ​
4 ​	Bristol City	6 ​	1 ​	1 ​	4 ​	10 ​	18 ​	-8 ​	4 ​

As group winners the last 16 gave the Blades a home tie, with AFC Bournemouth at York. The visitors took a 1-0 lead into half time following an early goal and after the Blades had a potential equaliser disallowed for offside. Bournemouth went 2-0 up with ten minutes to go before Aaron Reid quickly pulled one back for the Blades. The Blades thought they’d equalised deep into injury time but the flag was up again for offside. Bournemouth held on to win 2-1 and United’s cup campaign ended for another season.

Sam Aston was the only player to start all seven games and spent most time on the pitch with 623 minutes. Marshall Francis was top scorer with six goals

 

[Deadbat]

U18 Professional Development League (“U18PDL”)
The U18PDL was the Category 2 league competition for players from the U18 cohort and younger although the keeper could be from the U19 cohort. It allowed for up to five named substitutes, all of whom could be used during a game.

For fixture purposes, as with the PDL, the clubs continued to be split into North and South regions, playing clubs from the same region home and away but playing clubs in the other regions just once. As a North region club, the Blades played 18 games against the other nine North region clubs and ten games against the South region clubs resulting in a 28 league game season.

Unlike the PDL, the U18PDL tables continued to be split into North and South regions with the clubs finishing first in each region crowned U18 Professional Development North and South winners, respectively. The teams finishing first and second in each region qualified for the four team playoffs with the winners crowned U18 Professional Development League national champions.

After a slightly improved 4th place finish in 2024/25, the U18s started the campaign below par with seven points from the first six games. However, this was followed by a run of six consecutive wins propelling the side to the top of the table. A first defeat in almost three months, just before Christmas allowed Wigan Athletic to take over top spot for the start of the new year.

As with the PDL the form dropped in the second half of the season as the Blades collected just 1.21 points per game compared to 1.92 in the first half, resulting in a 5th place finish, eight points outside of the playoff positions.

One positive to take from the season - it was an eighth consecutive top half finish for the Blades.

U18 PDL North​	P​	W​	D​	L​	F​	A​	GD​	Pts​
1 ​	Wigan Athletic	28 ​	18 ​	4 ​	6 ​	66 ​	42 ​	24 ​	58 ​
2 ​	Hull City	28 ​	16 ​	2 ​	10 ​	65 ​	53 ​	12 ​	50 ​
3 ​	Crewe Alexandra	28 ​	13 ​	7 ​	8 ​	65 ​	41 ​	24 ​	46 ​
4 ​	Barnsley	28 ​	13 ​	5 ​	10 ​	44 ​	42 ​	2 ​	44 ​
5 ​	SHEFFIELD UNITED	28 ​	13 ​	3 ​	12 ​	63 ​	51 ​	12 ​	42 ​
6 ​	Fleetwood Town	28 ​	11 ​	2 ​	15 ​	39 ​	59 ​	-20 ​	35 ​
7 ​	Peterborough United	28 ​	10 ​	3 ​	15 ​	60 ​	77 ​	-17 ​	33 ​
8 ​	Huddersfield Town	28 ​	7 ​	4 ​	17 ​	55 ​	84 ​	-29 ​	25 ​
9 ​	Sheffield Wednesday	28 ​	6 ​	5 ​	17 ​	32 ​	65 ​	-33 ​	23 ​
10 ​	Coventry City	28 ​	6 ​	3 ​	19 ​	43 ​	65 ​	-22 ​	21 ​

Charlie Bulmer appeared in all 28 games. Cole Hay had the most starts with 23 and the most time on the pitch with 1864 minutes. Siem Eyob-Abraha was top scorer with 14 goals.


U18 Premier League Cup (“U18PLC”)
The Blades were invited to play in the U18PLC which, similar to the U18PDL, allowed players from the U18 cohort and younger although the keeper could be from the U19 cohort. Again, it allowed for up to five named substitutes, all of whom could be used during a game.

The competition was primarily for Category 1 clubs but with places for three invited Category 2 clubs to make up the numbers. The Blades were invited as U18 Professional Development League Cup runners-up during the previous season. The competition provided a four club group phase of three games. The clubs finishing first in each group qualified for the knockout stage. The remaining three clubs did not continue in the competition

The Blades were drawn in Group D with Category 1 academies Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Manchester City.

The first game played at Chelsea’s Cobham Training Centre almost resulted in 3 points for the Blades but the hosts equalised from a penalty in injury time to make it 3-3. A home game at Shirecliffe against Crystal Palace ended in a 3-1 defeat meaning the Blades had to win at Manchester City’s City Football Academy and hope for a favourable result in the other game to win the group and progress.

Although leading 1-0 at half time the Blades suffered in the second half as Manchester CIty quickly equalised and then racked up the goals in what turned out to be a fruitless attempt to qualify by overhauling Crystal Palace. The final score was a 4-1 defeat and the Blades exited the competition at the group stage.

U18 PLC Group D​	P​	W​	D​	L​	F​	A​	GD​	Pts​
1 ​	Crystal Palace	3 ​	2 ​	1 ​	0 ​	10 ​	4 ​	6 ​	7 ​
2 ​	Manchester City	3 ​	2 ​	1 ​	0 ​	10 ​	6 ​	4 ​	7 ​
=3 ​	Chelsea	3 ​	0 ​	1 ​	2 ​	5 ​	10 ​	-5 ​	1 ​
=3 ​	SHEFFIELD UNITED	3 ​	0 ​	1 ​	2 ​	5 ​	10 ​	-5 ​	1 ​

Keehan Barrett-Underwood, Sam Colechin, Siem Eyob-Abraha and Aaron Reid played all 270 minutes across the three games. Siem Eyob-Abraha was the top scorer with three goals.


FA Youth Cup (“FAYC”)
The Blades entered the FAYC for the 72nd time. The FAYC allowed players from the U18, U17, U16 and U15 cohorts and up to seven named substitutes, five of whom could be used during normal time and six if the game went into extra time. There were no replays and ties were decided on penalty kicks if the score was level after extra time.

Round entry was based on the status of the first team and, as a club in the EFL Championship, the Blades entered at the third round proper stage receiving a home tie against Category 1 academy Ipswich Town

The game was played at Bramall Lane in front of a crowd of 710. The Blades fell behind half way through the first half and things got worse when Siem Eyob-Abraha received a straight red before the visitors made it 2-0 right on half time. A spirited second half saw a great goal by substitute Emmett Morrison but the Blades lost 3-1 and exited the competition.

Keehan Barrett-Underwood, Sam Colechin, Alfie Hough, Aaron Reid and Tommy Betts played the full 90 minutes with Emmett Morrison scoring the only goal.

 

[Deadbat]

Home Grounds

The home ground designation for U21 fixtures remained at York Community Stadium with the Premier League again requiring at least five regular season PDL games to be hosted at Bramall Lane, something the Blades, with four, failed to achieve. However, with the York ground also hosting York City, various other academies sides and rugby league, most daytime U21 games were played at the Blades Academy at Shirecliffe.

Shirecliffe continued as the designated home ground for U18 fixtures except for evening cup games where a floodlit grass or hybrid surface was required.

Ground	PDL​	PLC​	U18PDL​	U18PLC​	FAYC​	Total​
Bramall Lane	5​	0​	0​	0​	1​	6​
Shirecliffe	8​	0​	14​	1​	0​	23​
York Community Stadium	2​	4​	0​	0​	0​	6​

Players

The players who appeared in matchday squads fell into eight groups:

1. Professional Development Phase: U21 Cohort
2. Professional Development Phase: U20 Cohor
3. Professional Development Phase: U19 Cohort
4. Professional Development Phase: U18 and U17 Cohorts
5. Youth Development Phase
6. Over Age Players
7. Professional Development Phase: Loanees
8. Trialists

Across the groups and for each of the five competitions the following information is provided:
· Apps (match day squad involvements - set out as starting appearances, appearances from the bench and non-appearances as an unused sub)
· Mins (minutes played based on 90 minute games as it’s often impossible to gather any added time played - substitution and red card times are taken into account in the total)
· Gls (goals scored)
· Amount of penalties saved from the amount faced, where relevant



1 - Professional Development Phase: U21 Cohort

Players born between 1st January 2004 and 31st August 2005 had to be named within the U21 cohort. The EFL allowed a maximum of 15 named players in the U21 cohort. The 20 month time period covered by this age group meant players born between January and August would spend two seasons inside the U21 cohort. Across the season the Blades registered 11 players in the U21 cohort.

One player spent his second season in the U21 cohort:

Oliver Arblaster - Midfield
PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 117 Gls 0

Six players spent their only season in the U21 cohort:

Luke Faxon - Goal
PDL: Apps 9-0-0 Mins 762 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 4-0-0 Mins 360 Gls 0 - saved 1/1 penalties

Liam Hall - Goal
PDL: Apps 4-0-5 Mins 360 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 1-0-2 Mins 90 Gls 0

Alex Matos - Midfield
September - Joined from Chelsea.
PDL: Apps 7-0-0 Mins 595 Gls 0

Sydie Peck - Midfield
September - Played for England in UEFA U21 Euros. October - Played for England in UEFA U21 Euros. November - Played for England in UEFA U21 Euros. March - Played for England in UEFA 21 Euros.
Had no academy matchday squad involvement.

Jay Tinsdale - Midfield
Had no academy matchday squad involvement.

Ehije Ukaki - Midfield
June - Joined from Botev Plovdiv (Bulgaria). August - Made first matchday squad in EFL Championship. Made first appearance in EFL Cup. February - Loaned to Atromitos (Greece).
PDL: Apps 2-1-0 Mins 146 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 61 Gls 0

Four players spent their first of two seasons in the U21 cohort:

Evan Easton - Defence
August - Loaned to Crusaders (Northern Ireland).
PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 167 Gls 0

Owen Hampson - Midfield
September - Loaned to Boston United.
PDL: Apps 8-1-0 Mins 716 Gls 2
PLC: Apps 5-0-0 Mins 405 Gls 1

Sai Sachdev - Defence
PDL: Apps 4-2-0 Mins 325 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 5-0-0 Mins 344 Gls 0

Nils Zätterström - Defence
August - Joined from Malmö Fotbollförening (Sweden), made first matchday squad in EFL Championship. September - Played for Sweden in UEFA U21 Euros. October - Played for Sweden in UEFA U21 Euros. November - Played for Sweden in UEFA U21 Euros. January - Loaned to Genoa CFC (Italy). March - Played for Sweden in UEFA U21 Euros.
PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 180 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0


2 - Professional Development Phase: U20 Cohort

Players born between 1st September 2005 and 31st August 2006 had to be named within the U20 cohort. The EFL allowed a maximum of 15 named players in the U20 cohort. Across the season the Blades registered nine players in the U20 cohort.

Sam Aston - Midfield
October - Loaned to Guiseley.
PDL: Apps 23-1-0 Mins 2081 Gls 6
PLC: Apps 6-0-0 Mins 623 Gls 1

Alfie Atherton - Attack
December - Loaned to Matlock Town. February - Joined Matlock Town.
PDL: Apps 7-7-0 Mins 756 Gls 1
PLC: Apps 3-2-0 Mins 286 Gls 0

Billy Blacker - Midfield
July - Loaned to Tranmere Rovers.
Had no academy matchday squad involvement.

Sam Curtis - Defence
January - Loaned to Chesterfield. March - Played for Ireland in UEFA U21 Euros.
PDL: Apps 10-0-0 Mins 885 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 4-0-0 Mins 360 Gls 0

Marshall Francis - Attack
PDL: Apps 15-2-1 Mins 1311 Gls 5
PLC: Apps 6-0-0 Mins 540 Gls 6

Christian Nwachukwu - Attack
November - Made first matchday squad in EFL Championship. February - Loaned to Serik Spor Futbol A.Ş. (Turkey).
PDL: Apps 5-1-0 Mins 378 Gls 3
PLC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 61 Gls 0

Ryan Oné - Attack
September - Played for Scotland in UEFA U21 Euros. October - Played for Scotland in UEFA U21 Euros. November - Played for Scotland in UEFA U21 Euros. January - Loaned to Lincoln City. March - Played for Scotland in UEFA U21 Euros.
PDL: Apps 4-0-0 Mins 360 Gls 0

Jayden Prunty - Defence
November - Loaned to Brighouse Town.
Had no academy matchday squad involvement.

Jack Waldron - Midfield
September - Loaned to Scarborough Athletic.
PDL: Apps 7-1-0 Mins 617 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 45 Gls 0


3 - Professional Development Phase: U19 Cohort

Players born between 1st September 2006 and 31st August 2007 had to be named within the U19 cohort. The EFL allowed a maximum of 15 named players in the U19 cohort. Across the season the Blades registered 13 players in the U19 cohort.

Max Asante-Boakye - Defence
July - Joined from Aston Villa. January - Loaned to Bromsgrove Sporting.
PDL: Apps 9-6-1 Mins 920 Gls 1
PLC: Apps 4-0-1 Mins 315 Gls 1

Jevon Beattie - Attack
PDL: Apps 6-0-0 Mins 478 Gls 8
PLC: Apps 1-2-0 Mins 137 Gls 0

Jackson Blaize - Midfield
September - Loaned to Ilkeston Town.
PDL: Apps 1-2-1 Mins 124 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 1-2-0 Mins 68 Gls 0

Archie Christie-Crainie - Attack
September - Loaned to Emley. December - Loaned to Guiseley.
PDL: Apps 1-6-1 Mins 199 Gls 3
PLC: Apps 0-1-1 Mins 1 Gls 0

Christopher Eadie - Attack
February - Joined from Rangers (Scotland).
PDL: Apps 10-0-0 Mins 798 Gls 4

Zach Giggs - Midfield
PDL: Apps 23-6-0 Mins 2178 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 5-0-0 Mins 433 Gls 1

Coby Hewitson - Goal
October - Loaned to Alfreton Town.
PDL: Apps 3-1-2 Mins 319 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 1-0-1 Mins 90 Gls 0 - saved 0/1 penalties

Frankie Jones - Midfield
November - Loaned to Cleethorpes Town.
PDL: Apps 8-5-5 Mins 811 Gls 1
PLC: Apps 3-0-1 Mins 250 Gls 0

Seth Okyere - Defence
September - Loaned to Ilkeston Town.
PDL: Apps 15-3-4 Mins 1402 Gls 1
PLC: Apps 1-2-0 Mins 142 Gls 0

Lennon Patterson – Defence
Had no matchday squad involvements.

Mihail Polendakov - Defence
July - Joined from Septemvri Sofia (Bulgaria). September - Played for Bulgaria in UEFA U21 Euros. October - Played for Bulgaria in UEFA U21 Euros. November - Played for Bulgaria in UEFA U21 Euros. March - Played for Bulgaria in UEFA U21 Euros.
PDL: Apps 5-3-1 Mins 405 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 1-1-0 Mins 99 Gls 0

Dovydas Sasnauskas - Defence
August - Made first matchday squad in EFL Championship, made first appearance in EFL Cup. September - Played for Lithuania in UEFA U21 Euros.
PDL: Apps 7-1-0 Mins 627 Gls 2
PLC: Apps 2-2-0 Mins 242 Gls 0

Zain Tahir - Defence
February - Loaned to Scunthorpe United.
PDL: Apps 7-0-0 Mins 617 Gls 0
PLC: Apps 2-1-0 Mins 180 Gls 0

 

[Deadbat]

4 - Professional Development Phase: U18 and U17 Cohorts



Players born between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2009, equivalent to school years Y12 and Y13, undertook a two year scholarship and had to be named within the U18 and U17 cohorts. The EFL allowed a maximum of 30 named players across the U18 and U17 cohort. During the season the Blades registered 24 players in the U18 and U17 cohorts.





14 players born between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2008, equivalent to school year Y13, were second year U18 scholars:





Sam Colechin - Defence

PDL: Apps 13-5-0 Mins 1222 Gls 0

PLC: Apps 0-1-1 Mins 11 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 15-0-0 Mins 1338 Gls 1

U18PLC: Apps 3-0-0 Mins 227 Gls 1

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Arlo Coubrough - Attack

U18PDL: Apps 8-6-0 Mins 698 Gls 3

U18PLC: Apps 1-1-0 Mins 81 Gls 1

FAYC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 45 Gls 0



Siem Eyob-Abraha - Attack

March - Played for Eritrea in AFCON Cup Of Nations.

PDL: Apps 2-14-0 Mins 451 Gls 1

PLC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 32 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 15-3-0 Mins 1410 Gls 14

U18PLC: Apps 3-0-0 Mins 270 Gls 3

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 32 Gls 0



Franklyn Gordon - Defence

U18PDL: Apps 1-2-0 Mins 98 Gls 0



Ben Grainger - Goal

PDL: Apps 3-10-0 Mins 270 Gls 0 - saved 0/1 penalties

PLC: Apps 0-0-2 Mins 0 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 14-0-6 Mins 1252 Gls 0 - saved 1/3 penalties

U18PLC: Apps 2-0-1 Mins 180 Gls 0 - saved 0/1 penalties

FAYC: Apps 0-0-1 Mins 0 Gls 0



Alfie Hough - Defence

PDL: Apps 16-3-4 Mins 1428 Gls 0

PLC: Apps 4-2-0 Mins 391 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 11-0-0 Mins 875 Gls 0

U18PLC: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 180 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Theo Howard - Midfield

PDL: Apps 1-2-1 Mins 69 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 6-2-0 Mins 466 Gls 1



Harry McGlinchey - Defence

February - Joined from Chelsea. May - Made first matchday squad in EFL Championship.

PDL: Apps 10-1-0 Mins 931 Gls 0

Riley McLachlan - Attack

PDL: Apps 2-2-0 Mins 181 Gls 1

U18PDL: Apps 9-3-0 Mins 854 Gls 7

U18PLC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 82 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 26 Gls 0



Jaydon Makhalira - Midfield

PDL: Apps 8-4-1 Mins 785 Gls 1

PLC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 1 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 15-1-0 Mins 1278 Gls 1

U18PLC: Apps 3-0-0 Mins 261 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 65 Gls 0



Aaron Reid - Midfield

PDL: Apps 3-2-2 Mins 282 Gls 0

PLC: Apps 3-3-0 Mins 327 Gls 1

U18PDL: Apps 11-0-0 Mins 962 Gls 2

U18PLC: Apps 3-0-0 Mins 270 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Lamine Sidibe - Attack

PDL: Apps 2-3-0 Mins 191 Gls 0

PLC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 29 Gls 1

U18PDL: Apps 17-2-0 Mins 1420 Gls 3

U18PLC: Apps 1-1-0 Mins 117 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 87 Gls 0



Dylan Tawodzera - Defence

U18PDL: Apps 5-3-0 Mins 453 Gls 1

U18PLC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 45 Gls 0



Alfie Venners - Goal

PDL: Apps 0-0-4 Mins 0 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 2-1-6 Mins 258 Gls 0

U18PLC: Apps 1-0-2 Mins 90 Gls 0





10 players born between 1st September 2008 and 31st August 2009, equivalent to school year Y12, were second year U17 scholars:





Robert Adams - Midfield

July - Joined from Arsenal.

U18PDL: Apps 5-7-4 Mins 444 Gls 0

U18PLC: Apps 0-1-2 Mins 9 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 0-0-1 Mins 0 Gls 0



Keehan Barrett-Underwood - Defence

PDL: Apps 2-1-0 Mins 193 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 13-1-0 Mins 1206 Gls 0

U18PLC: Apps 3-0-0 Mins 270 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Charlie Bulmer - Attack

PDL: Apps 1-2-1 Mins 118 Gls 0

PLC: Apps 1-2-0 Mins 100 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 16-12-0 Mins 1473 Gls 8

U18PLC: Apps 1-2-0 Mins 100 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 87 Gls 0



Thomas Dearden - Defence

September - Played for Wales in U18 friendlies. October - Played for Wales in U18 friendlies. March - Played for Wales in UEFA U19 Euros.

PDL: Apps 0-0-3 Mins 0 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 18-1-0 Mins 1631 Gls 1

U18PLC: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 180 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 45 Gls 0



Ethan Gold - Keeper

July - Joined from Charlotte FC (USA).

Had no matchday squad involvements.



Cole Hay - Attack

July - Joined from Hamilton Academical (Scotland).

PDL: Apps 0-1-1 Mins 4 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 22-3-0 Mins 1864 Gls 7

U18PLC: Apps 1-1-1 Mins 83 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 45 Gls 0



Emmett Morrison - Midfield

July - Joined from Cliftonville (Northern Ireland). October - Played for Northern Ireland in U17 friendlies.

U18PDL: Apps 11-16-1 Mins 1120 Gls 2

U18PLC: Apps 1-1-1 Mins 89 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 4 Gls 1



Ben Murray - Midfield

U18PDL: Apps 2-2-0 Mins 154 Gls 0



Marley Parr-Pearson - Midfield

PDL: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 13 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 13-4-0 Mins 1310 Gls 1

U18PLC: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 180 Gls 0



Matthew Poppleton - Midfield

U18PDL: Apps 3-9-0 Mins 341 Gls 3

U18PLC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 18 Gls 0

FAYC: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 4 Gls 0





5 - Youth Development Phase



Players born on or after 1st September 2009.



14 players born between 1st September 2009 and 31st August 2010, equivalent to school year Y11, were U16 schoolboys selected in matchday squads:



Zach Benjamin - Attack

U18PDL: Apps 0-2-0 Mins 72 Gls 0



Oliver Bentley - Midfield

U18PDL: Apps 0-1-1 Mins 16 Gls 0



Thomas Betts - Goal

November - Played for England in U17 friendlies. May - Made first matchday squad in EFL Championship.

PDL: Apps 10-0-1 Mins 900 Gls 0 - saved 1/1 penalties

PLC: Apps 1-0-1 Mins 90 Gls 0

U18PDL: Apps 9-0-0 Mins 900 Gls 0 - saved 1/4 penalties

FAYC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Tyron Bishawu – Defence

U18PDL: Apps 10-1-2 Mins 929 Gls 0



Alfie Booker - Midfield

U18PDL: Apps 1-1-1 Mins 97 Gls 0



Theo Buckle - Defence

18PDL: Apps 7-3-0 Mins 753 Gls 0



Beau Cheesewright - Midfield

U18PDL: Apps 1-1-0 Mins 81 Gls 0



Ollie Colechin – Midfield

18PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 73 Gls 0



Bailey Miller - Midfield

18PDL: Apps 11-0-1 Mins 985 Gls 0



Lucas Mitton - Attack

U18PDL: Apps 0-2-2 Mins 18 Gls 0



Oliver Rahnavard - Goal

U18PDL: Apps 2-1-11 Mins 189 Gls 0



Eddie Roberts - Defence

U18PDL: Apps 15-2-1 Mins 1264 Gls 17

U18PLC: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 152 Gls 0



Jayden Shephard - Attack

18PDL: Apps 6-0-0 Mins 491 Gls 2



Alex Wragg - Goal

U18PDL: Apps 0-0-3 Mins 0 Gls 0



One player born between 1st September 2010 and 31st August 2011, equivalent to school year Y10, was a U15 schoolboy selected in matchday squads:



Shakeel Charles - Attack

February - Played for England in U15 friendlies.

18PDL: Apps 0-5-0 Mins 115 Gls 0



One player born between 1st September 2011 and 31st August 2012, equivalent to school year Y9, was a U14 schoolboys selected in matchday squads:



Freddie Senior - Defence

U18PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0





6 - Over Age Players



Two categories of over age players were allowed in EPPP competitions, in line with the restrictions covered in the Competition Overviews section:



Those born before 1st January 2004, whether registered with the Senior Squad or not, involved in the PDL and/or PLC

U19 keepers involved in the U18PDL and/or U18PLC



14 players born before 1st January 2004 were selected in PDL and PLC matchday squads:



Jamal Baptiste - Defence

August - Loaned to Rotherham United.

PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 180 Gls 0



Patrick Bamford - Attack

November - Joined as Free Agent.

PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 45 Gls 0



Louie Barry - Attack

July - Loaned from Aston Villa. January - Returned to Aston Villa.

PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 1



Jili Buyabu - Defence

August - Loaned to Forest Green Rovers.

PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Tahith Chong - Midfield/Attack

August - Joined from Luton Town. September - Played for Curaçao in FIFA World Cup. March - Played for Curaçao in FIFA World Series.

PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Tom Davies - Midfield

PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



Ben Godfrey - Defence

August - Loaned from Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio (Italy). January - Returned to Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio (Italy).

PDL: Apps 4-0-0 Mins 301 Gls 0

PLC: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 150 Gls 0



Leo Hjelde - Defence

February - Loaned from Sunderland.

PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 151 Gls 0



Louie Marsh - Attack

January - Loaned to Falkirk (Scotland).

PDL: Apps 10-0-0 Mins 900 Gls 10

PLC: Apps 5-0-0 Mins 449 Gls 4



Ben Mee - Defence

September - Joined as Free Agent.

PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 63 Gls 0



Chiedozie Ogbene - Midfield

September - Played for Ireland in FIFA World Cup. October - Played for Ireland in FIFA World Cup. November - Played for Ireland in FIFA World Cup. March - Played for Ireland in FIFA World Cup and friendlies.

PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 180 Gls 2

PLC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 59 Gls 0



Femi Seriki - Defence

PDL: Apps 3-0-0 Mins 255 Gls 1



Jamie Shackleton - Midfield

PDL: Apps 3-0-0 Mins 240 Gls 0

PLC: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 77 Gls 0



Djibril Soumaré - Midfield

August - Loaned from Sporting Clube De Braga (Portugal).

PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 0



No U19 keepers were selected in U18PDL or U18PLC matchday squads.

 

[Deadbat]

7 - Professional Development Phase: Loanees



Players born on or after 1st January 2004 and loaned into the club had to be named in the senior squad regardless of age due to EFL rules.



One Professional Development Phase loanee was selected in matchday squads:



Tyler Bindon (U21) - Defence

July - Loaned from Nottingham Forest. August - Made first appearance in EFL Championship. September - Played for New Zealand in friendlies. October - Played for New Zealand in friendlies. November - Played for New Zealand in friendlies. March - Played for New Zealand in FIFA Series.

PDL: Apps 1-0-0 Mins 90 Gls 1





8 - Trialists



The Premier League and FA allowed trialists in its competitions. The club did not disclose the names of trialists and it was not always possible to identify individual trialists through other means.



Trialists were part of a matchday squad on 22 occasions. Their combined stats were:

PDL: Apps 2-6-0 Mins 298 Gls 1

U18PDL: Apps 11-1-2 Mins 844 Gls 2 - saved 1/1 penalties



Subsequently where individual trialists were identified, the stats were:



Covarne Leon (U17) - Attack

February - Trialled from Basford United.

PDL: Apps 0-5-0 Mins 112 Gls 1

U18PDL: Apps 5-1-0 Mins 349 Gls 2

This is the full extent of the player’s trial stats.



Dan Rigge (U20) - Midfield

March - Trialled from West Ham United.

PDL: Apps 2-0-0 Mins 161 Gls 0

This is the full extent of the player’s trial stats.



Malakai Suleiman (U16) - Defence

April - Trialled from Tottenham Hotspur.

U18PDL: Apps 1-0-2 Mins 90 Gls 0

It was not possible to confirm whether this was the full extent of the player’s trial stats. If further stats exist they are included in the combined stats for unknown trialists below.



Charlie Stewart (U18) - Attack

March - Trialled from Everton.

PDL: Apps 0-1-0 Mins 26 Gls 0

It was not possible to confirm whether this was the full extent of the player’s trial stats. If further stats exist they are included in the combined stats for unknown trialists below.



The combined stats for all unknown trialists were:

U18PDL: Apps 5-0-0 Mins 405 Gls 0 - saved 1/1 penalties

 

[Deadbat]

SUFC Women



This next section was not written by me either! The fantastic Bladespod Beans , who has a season ticket for the Women, should be He is the ‘go to’ person when it comes to anything around the Blades Women side. He has kindly taken the time to write some thoughts on their season….please subscribe to his fantastic newsletter. He will be sending out a more in depth player ratings piece soon…so go and check it out (link below).





Deadbat has asked me to provide a bit of a summary on United Women’s 2025/26 season, but first I hope he will allow me to plug WOMEN OF STEEL, a free weekly(ish) newsletter that I write covering SUFC’s Women’s team and the action in WSL2. If you want to stay up to date with match reports, who’s playing well, who’s struggling, new signings etc – please give it a subscribe – again, it’s free: https://womenofsteel.substack.com/



Season Summary



United finished the season 11th out of 12 teams, which – while cutting it fine – is “mission accomplished”. I think it’s fair to be mildly disappointed at the final league position, as having actually watched all 22 games I think the team is better than that, but it’s worth remembering the position the team was in twelve months ago.



Back then, we finished bottom of the second tier, and only avoided relegation due to Blackburn axing funding for their women’s team and dropping down the leagues. The squad was then rebuilt almost from scratch, and then underwent another sudden managerial change on the eve of the new season as manager Ash Thompson was suspended and eventually let go (mutually). Interim boss Luke Turner steadied the ship and United would later hire a new permanent manager in January, as Stephen Healy joined from MK Dons.



After a previous season of a squad made up of teenagers and low-cost veterans who hadn’t found places with other teams, summer 2025 was much more encouraging. Not only did United bring in a host of proven WSL2 talent like Amy Andrews, Charlie Devlin, Mollie Rouse and Emma Taylor, they also signed players to multi-year contracts as standard – a stark departure from previous years.



We also, for the first time in our history, paid a fee for a player, as Ireland U19 striker Joy Ralph joined from Shamrock Rovers. The fee was undisclosed, and I’d be very surprised if it was even as much as five figures, but this was a positive sign that the club were intending to run their women’s team more seriously than previous years.



The season started alarmingly with a 4-0 home defeat to Sunderland, but before long we’d come within a few minutes of drawing with eventual champions Birmingham and then kicked off a six-game unbeaten run that included four points from games with the teams who would finish 2nd and 3rd.



We lost momentum around the winter break, losing four in a row and having multiple games postponed due to the weather, but then picked up valuable draws with Charlton, Newcastle and Sunderland before a crunch game against Portsmouth that was always going to have a huge impact on the relegation picture. The Blades were superior and won 2-1, leaving Pompey – who only had two games left at that stage – virtually doomed.



United played three times before Pompey’s next game, losing all three, but Portsmouth then lost at home to Forest and the Blades’ survival was confirmed.



Standout players



I’m going to do player-by-player reviews on Women of Steel in the coming weeks, but let me pick out a few of my favourite players from the season for now:



Amy Andrews, striker – 9 goals



Andrews has been a game-changing signing, picked up on a free from Newcastle last summer and becoming not only our leading scorer but a transformative number 9. Pacey and athletic, she runs all day – giving the Blades an outlet on the counter. She’s played a remarkable 1,976 out of a possible 1,980 minutes this season in the league – a laudable number given the amount of effort she expends.



She’s a good dribbler and one of the highest-volume shooters in the league, even if she has to create her own shot a lot of the time in one of the weakest attacking sides in WSL2. She finishes the season as one the highest scorers in the league, and it’s been interesting seeing manager Stephen Healy use her more down the left than centrally, where she can find more space to run at defenders.



Charlie Devlin, midfielder – 4 goals



Devlin has been one of the better attacking midfielders in the league this season, ranking highly against other AMs for chances created, successful dribbles and shots. I’ve loved watching her: at times she’s like a one-woman attack, constantly popping up centrally and firing shots at goal or looking for a killer pass.



She also has a fiercely competitive streak – she got a red card in the draw at Sunderland, and isn’t one to shirk a tackle. But at the same time she’s such a good dribbler that she wins a lot of freekicks going the other way. A real asset for us in her first season at the Lane.



Mollie Rouse, midfielder – 1 goal



Signed on deadline day, Rouse has been a key player – especially with vice-captain Connie Scofield missing almost the entire season with injury. We should be trying to build our midfield around her this summer: she may only have one goal but she’s been a very good all-action midfielder, with excellent dribbling numbers and decent chance creation stats.



I’d love to see her paired with another high-energy, high-athleticism partner in the centre. Academy product Tilly Bristow – whose stats were insanely good in limited minutes before her season-ending injury in January – might be that player going forward, but I’d like a more senior figure there too.



Jess Reavill, centre-back – 1 goal

If I had to pick one United player who I’d be worried about losing to a WSL team, it would be Reavill. Not only does she have England youth team pedigree; the 20-year-old has the height, strength and overall athleticism to go up against some of the best in WSL2.



I’m always reticent to make comparisons with men’s players but so many times this season Reavill has made me think of Chris Basham – I swear they even have the same gait to their run. And like Basham, she loves bringing the ball out of the back and is a threat in the opposition box. A really good pickup last summer who will surely only get better – especially if we can find a solid partner at centre-back.





Next season



I’m keeping my expectations fairly low for next season; it’s likely to be another one of trying to avoid the drop. The league is expected to return to two relegation spots – it was only one this season so as to expand the WSL (three teams going up from WSL2, pending the outcome of the relegation playoff). And the baseline for the Blades should be to finish at least one place higher.



But there are reasons to be optimistic: hopefully, we’ll have managerial stability. We’re also in a position to retain the players we want to retain – so the core of the team should stay in red and white. For the first time in three years we can address needs in the transfer market, rather than frantically piecing together an entire squad. On that note, we should be in a position to add depth that was sorely lacking at times this season, with a bench padded out by academy players or in some cases no one at all.



There’s also the case that the league might not be as top-heavy next season, especially if Leicester win the relegation playoff and no one comes down from the WSL. There’s a chance that United could kick on and become another Southampton or even Charlton: an established, punchy second-tier side who can mix it with the best teams. I’ll certainly be hoping for that over another relegation battle.



Position:

11th/12th

Record:

Won 4

Drew 6

Lost 12

Leading Scorer:

Amy Andrews 9 goals