Stockton Town U18s kick-start their campaign on Wednesday evening when they make the trip to take on Kendal Town in the FA Youth Cup Preliminary Round.
The Young Anchors enjoyed an excellent 24/25 season as they claimed the league title and the JPL Cup.
Such is the nature of youth football, it has been a hectic Pre-Season for Paddy Davis and his team.
Many new players have been welcomed in from the U16 and U17 set-up. There has of course been the inclusion of U18 players in the First Team. Two of whom have made their debuts for Stockton Town in Luca McHugh and Seb Waller.
There have also been players out on Dual Registration in the Northern League. Goalkeeper Tyler Smith, defender Harvey Parkinson and winger Chuka Unigwe have all been starring for Darlington Town in Division Two.
Jaedon Faulkner, who has enjoyed a good run-out in the First Team, has been playing Division One football at Guisborough Town.
For Davis, the future is bright: “The younger lads who have come in have really impressed, and that puts us in a good place for the future. Not only this season, but over the next few years we should see many more progressing into first team training sessions and hopefully into matchday squads.”
The return of the FA Youth Cup is always a highlight of the early part of the season. The Young Anchors will be keen to try to emulate Stockton Youth Teams of recent years by progressing as far as they can. In 2022, the U18 team reached the Third Qualifying Round where they were beaten by Wythenshawe Amateurs.
Tomorrow night’s trip to Kendal has a mouthwatering reward with a home game against Darlington set for the winner.
Looking ahead to the tie, Davis commented: “Kendal will be a really tough test, especially with some of the lads not used to midweek travel. They’ve had a strong U18 side for a couple of years, so I expect a difficult game, but I’m confident we can offer plenty ourselves and I’m looking forward to it.”
Even at this premature stage of the season, it’s already evident how much the First Team are utilising the U18 set-up. The aforementioned Faulkner, McHugh and Waller have been involved in various matchday squads. There has been a big contribution from the U18 graduates in Jack Spears and Tom Birtles, with the former recently making his first start for Stockton Town.
“Anyone following Stockton will have been impressed with the lads involved in the first team recently, especially Birty and Jack after their success with the 18s. It’s no surprise to me — that’s why we brought them in. Michael and the first-team staff have shown real confidence in them, which makes my role easier and helps push the 18s on, giving them valuable time in training and on the pitch,” Davis expressed.
Those wishing to back the Young Anchors tomorrow night, entry at the Westmorland Flooring Stadium is £5 Adults, £3 Concessions and £1 for U16.
We will have live updates on our Twitter (X) page throughout the game.
