What a performance from the boys, the better team all game against 2022 seasons beaten finalists. 1-0 winners in extra time. A lot of scouts at the game tonight.. and so was David Artell. I’m sure he’ll be very happy with what he saw and may well be looking at giving a few more of them pro deals.

They were brilliant

I think this could well end up being our best set of youth lads we’ve ever had. Put this result into perspective, Forest beat Man City youth last month

They’d probably beat the first team at this rate.

Fantastic.

Would've been great to have seen a bit more possession but I thought for large periods that was a great example of how to control a game when you don't have the ball.

I think we have several promising prospects. And plenty of that line-up, including the goalscorer (who was magnificent by the way), are only 1st year YT's as well.

Well done lads.

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

I think this could well end up being our best set of youth lads we’ve ever had. Put this result into perspective, Forest beat Man City youth last month

They'd have to do well to beat the achievements of the youth team of the mid 70s  think we got 4 or 5 into the first team from that batch

What's the furthest we've ever gone in this comp, anyone know?

I seem to remember from the depths of my memory that about 20 odd years ago we had a big youth cup game. Not sure of The round though. John oster, who was a star for the first team by then was allowed by the manager to play in it as he was still eligible and duly got himself sent off and was then suspended when we needed him for the first 11! Think we got beat as well. My memory could be totally wrong on all of this tho!

Anyone else remember anything vaguely like this or am I making it all up?!?!

Remember us losing at Newcastle but can’t remember if that was the Youth Cup or one of the regional competitions linked to the league youths were playing in at that time.

Welll worth two and half hours in the cold. Overall impression was a very disciplined performance and no weak links rather than any outstanding individuals. First time in Main Stand for 30 years the roof reminds of the pick a stick game how many beams could you remove before the roof fell in.

We beat QPR in a youth cup final at Loftus Road in 2009. I was there and we were all over them.

It was an Alliance cup final, so presumably not FA Youth Cup.

Quoted from toontown

What's the furthest we've ever gone in this comp, anyone know?

I seem to remember from the depths of my memory that about 20 odd years ago we had a big youth cup game. Not sure of The round though. John oster, who was a star for the first team by then was allowed by the manager to play in it as he was still eligible and duly got himself sent off and was then suspended when we needed him for the first 11! Think we got beat as well. My memory could be totally wrong on all of this tho!

Anyone else remember anything vaguely like this or am I making it all up?!?!

Apparently it’s the Quarter Final this is the furthest other than that season.

Defensive masterclass, sat in low block let them have the ball and they couldn’t break us down, could break through midfield force them wide or to play long which either run out or the defence dealt with it.

Last night was only the third round so a long way to go and lots of teams still in the competition, well done to the lads last night!

Great performance from the young Mariners. Well worth the trip over.

Well-deserved win and the reaction of the bench said it all when they scored as they raced onto the pitch. A good goal.

The Forest number nine went down late on to try for a penalty to earn his second yellow.

As someone else has said, it wasn't a matter of outstanding individual performances but a superb team effort who wore Forest down. Plenty of their players were going down with cramp.

I see quite a lot of U18 and U21 football out and about and it was good to see an open game because too many contests seem to be about teams cancelling each other out.

UTM!

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

I think this could well end up being our best set of youth lads we’ve ever had. Put this result into perspective, Forest beat Man City youth last month

Big call that especially when you think of the late 70s squads and the likes of Donovan, Drinkell, Mawer, Ford, Kev & Dave Moore.

However at this point in time last night was a great result, is this now the furthest the club has got in the Youth cup I wonder?

Quoted from toontown

What's the furthest we've ever gone in this comp, anyone know?

I seem to remember from the depths of my memory that about 20 odd years ago we had a big youth cup game. Not sure of The round though. John oster, who was a star for the first team by then was allowed by the manager to play in it as he was still eligible and duly got himself sent off and was then suspended when we needed him for the first 11! Think we got beat as well. My memory could be totally wrong on all of this tho!

Anyone else remember anything vaguely like this or am I making it all up?!?!

No, you definitely remember it right. I just can't remember the opponent but Arsenal seems to be popping into my mind.  

Bizarre when you think about it that we were in a relegation scrap and we allowed one of our best players, if not the best, to play in a youth game.

Huge achievement for the young lads and indeed everyone around the set-up.  Especially when you consider a lot of the Forest lads will be almost two years older than a lot of ours.

Woods has come close a few times to cracking it and getting a real stream of players into the first team.  Couple of years before he got the big job we had North, Bore and Taylor who came in having gone through the ranks with Hegarty and Bennett also joining as 16-year-olds.  Pretty sure there's going to be a game or two with all 5 playing, which is one hell of an achievement really.

That task has got even harder in the last 10/15 years though with anyone with talent getting picked up at a very young age.  I think it's also credit to the club that despite the 2021 relegation we maintained with the youth set-up and held our nerve effectively (despite funding reductions), you only have to look at how Scunthorpe approached their youth system in non-league to see what can happen.

Loads and loads of these lads have so much potential and ability, I just hope the increased spotlight on them doesn't see them get picked off for a pittance.  I too wonder if we might end up offering a few more early pro deals to keep the wolves at bay, although a lot of these lads are 1st Year YT's, very early in their careers to be doing so.

98-99 season we played Arsenal in the 3rd round.  93-94 we got as far as the last 16 before losing to Bradford City in a replay

Some great knowledge there bedders!  Was it 0-5 against Arsenal?  Seem to remember them schooling us a bit.

Can you shed any light on the Oster game?  Can't believe two of us would have imagined it.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Big call that especially when you think of the late 70s squads and the likes of Donovan, Drinkell, Mawer, Ford, Kev & Dave Moore.

However at this point in time last night was a great result, is this now the furthest the club has got in the Youth cup I wonder?

I believe we've reached the quarters before, in recent times I remember the team that included Danny North, Andy Taylor etc getting to like the 4th round vs Newcastle. I believe they won some silverware aswell as I remember them doing a lap of BP with a trophy.. possibly the Youth Alliance or the league cup?

Quoted from diehardmariner

No, you definitely remember it right. I just can't remember the opponent but Arsenal seems to be popping into my mind.  

Bizarre when you think about it that we were in a relegation scrap and we allowed one of our best players, if not the best, to play in a youth game.

Huge achievement for the young lads and indeed everyone around the set-up.  Especially when you consider a lot of the Forest lads will be almost two years older than a lot of ours.

Woods has come close a few times to cracking it and getting a real stream of players into the first team.  Couple of years before he got the big job we had North, Bore and Taylor who came in having gone through the ranks with Hegarty and Bennett also joining as 16-year-olds.  Pretty sure there's going to be a game or two with all 5 playing, which is one hell of an achievement really.

That task has got even harder in the last 10/15 years though with anyone with talent getting picked up at a very young age.  I think it's also credit to the club that despite the 2021 relegation we maintained with the youth set-up and held our nerve effectively (despite funding reductions), you only have to look at how Scunthorpe approached their youth system in non-league to see what can happen.

Loads and loads of these lads have so much potential and ability, I just hope the increased spotlight on them doesn't see them get picked off for a pittance.  I too wonder if we might end up offering a few more early pro deals to keep the wolves at bay, although a lot of these lads are 1st Year YT's, very early in their careers to be doing so.

NW is certainly doing a great job with the youth squad and seems to have found his true vocation. It must be added that he can only work with the players at his disposal. It must be very hard to attract young lads to join our youth programme when you have much larger clubs circling around and " hoovering up " any player that exhibits any kind of potential. I love my club and town but I can understand a young lads head being turned by even clubs like the Sheffield two, Notts Forest or Leeds - all of whom are not too far away.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Some great knowledge there bedders!  Was it 0-5 against Arsenal?  Seem to remember them schooling us a bit.

Can you shed any light on the Oster game?  Can't believe two of us would have imagined it.

Arsenal was 5-1

96-97 we beat Bradford 5-0 in the 1st round with Oster scoring from the halfway line. 2nd round we lost 2-0 away at Tranmere.  Oster missed the game due to being away with Wales u21s. Love, Croudson, Young, Chapman, Bloomer, Butterfield and Clare all in the squad that year.

I can't find any reference to Oster getting sent off, but he did get a few u21 call ups that probably kept him out of the team

Nice little press snippet there, Bedders. I remember going to the game and I seem to recall that Jermaine Pennant was the big draw that night, having recently signed from Notts County for £2m, then a record for a player not yet on pro terms. He didn't end up playing.

Ashley Cole clearly the standout star from the Arsenal teamsheet (making his pro debut at BP a couple of years later for Palace), though one or two others did have modestly notable playing careers. 'Keeper Stuart Taylor played in the Champions League for the gooners and picked up a Premier League winners medal having played 10 times in the 01/02 season. Rhys Weston had a decent football league career and played for Wales. Liam Chilvers played 300 odd times in the football league. Jay Bothroyd was a solid second-tier striker. Jo Kuffour did alright milling about the bottom two tiers.

Of course, plenty of names on that Arsenal team sheet who didn't "make it", too. It's a reminder actually as to just how difficult it is for young players at clubs like Town to achieve a professional career. They haven't just got to be the best amongst their peer group at the club, they've got to be better than so many other youngsters filtering down from so-called "elite clubs", with all of the obvious advantages at their disposal. Last night certainly bodes well for our current crop, mind.

Was it Cam Gardener that won the ball/set up the goal? Great play by him if so, looks really good going from that clip..

That was quite a strong "reserve" team heading to Tranmere!

Goal below. Cracking finish and quite the roar from presumably the couple of hundred watching from the main stand.

Hell of a finish. Fantastic tenacity from the lad who won it back too and good vision to lay it off, shows the benefits of pressing and winning it high up when the chance arises.

I seem to remember reading an article in the dim and distant past about how we were one of the most successful clubs at bringing players through from the youth team to the first team.

It was some years ago and I don't know how we fare now, but we are giving it a good go. Some clubs don't even bother with an academy now.

Quoted from sam gy

Was it Cam Gardener that won the ball/set up the goal? Great play by him if so, looks really good going from that clip..

Grayson Giles

We bossed the game playing a high intensity and very aggressive style . We set up how all youth teams should imo . Forest were tidy but gave the ball away a lot and lacked intensity. Forest number 9 needs calming down a bit , he was the biggest drama queen at BP since Fenty

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

I believe we've reached the quarters before, in recent times I remember the team that included Danny North, Andy Taylor etc getting to like the 4th round vs Newcastle. I believe they won some silverware aswell as I remember them doing a lap of BP with a trophy.. possibly the Youth Alliance or the league cup?

👍

A good headline missed:

“Forest fire extinguished”.

I don't want to fixate on the disappointment of a young lad, but...

The Forest player closest to the camera's response is gold dust, his reaction to the goal is almost in slow motion and you can see him thinking 'how....have....we lost...to...Grimsby'

Quoted from It Bites

We bossed the game playing a high intensity and very aggressive style . We set up how all youth teams should imo . Forest were tidy but gave the ball away a lot and lacked intensity. Forest number 9 needs calming down a bit , he was the biggest drama queen at BP since Fenty

Think the no. 9 is a lad called Connor from Lincoln. Very 'well known' in local circles , so his disgraceful/ pathetic behaviour came as no surprise to those itk

Quoted from forza ivano

Think the no. 9 is a lad called Connor from Lincoln. Very 'well known' in local circles , so his disgraceful/ pathetic behaviour came as no surprise to those itk

It’s not quite Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, but that’s a cool name all the same.

Quoted from Poojah

It’s not quite Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, but that’s a cool name all the same.

It's a bit 'Popmaster caller' for my liking.

Quoted from Poojah

It’s not quite Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, but that’s a cool name all the same.

I always though 'Hesselink' sounded like a bad planner's name for the road between Hull and Goole.

Quoted from forza ivano

Think the no. 9 is a lad called Connor from Lincoln. Very 'well known' in local circles , so his disgraceful/ pathetic behaviour came as no surprise to those itk

Sent off against Tottenham and Man City in similar circumstances in their league this year. Shame he is a head case because he was at Lincoln and obviously has ability. Someone needs to sort him out was suprised their coaching staff showed no reaction to his behaviour even when he kicked the water bottle when he left the pitch and it brushed Neil Woods.

My son is an under 16 at the academy, and has been there for two seasons. It has been a truly brilliant experience for him, in which he has developed well as a player, grown in confidence, and made a lot of super friends.

Sadly for him, we know that he won't have a scholarship with the youth team come next season, but even so we wouldn't have swapped the last two seasons for anything in the world. Every other one of the 9x u16's not getting scholarships left the club immediately upon being notified on 28 October, to continue playing football elsewhere. And believe me, the decision making process must have been really difficult, as the under 16's were a fantastic group of players. But my lad decided to stay until the end of the season, as he wants to keep training and playing at the highest level that he can to assist him further in trying to make his football career elsewhere. And I cannot speak highly enough of how supportive Neil Woods and his staff have been in supporting him, in what is a difficult time for a young footballer. They have been terrific with him. On a personal note, we are very proud of our lad for showing the strength of character not to give up and keep pitching up three nights a week from Skegness and on matchdays. His hard work and Neil's support has already resulted in him getting an offer of a scholarship with a National League club, as well a strong possibility of a second opportunity with Chesterfield if they get promoted back to the EFL.  None of this would be possible without the support of Neil and the guys at the Grimsby Town Academy, and we will be forever grateful to them.

I hear lots of horror stories about kids released from academy's, getting cast aside etc. And I have also read that book "No Hunger In Paradise" by Michael Calvin (and seen the documentary around it). All I can say is this. This certainly hasn't been the case for my boy at Grimsby Town Academy, this really has not been our experience. Quite the opposite, where he has been looked after brilliantly, with a high degree of compassion and care. I'd actually say that it has been managed in such a way that has quite possibly spurred him on even more to try and succeed.

It came as no surprise to me that the Youth Team turned Forest over last night, and I am absolutely buzzin for them all. Especially for the two boys from little old Skegness, Billy Bradley (capt) and Jack Collins. Billy and his family are good family friends of ours, and that lad is an absolute diamond of a boy. He is the most delightful kid you could ever wish to meet, who is mature beyond his years, caring, and with the most impeccable manners you could ever imagine. I am thrilled for both of them, but particularly for Billy.

Well done to all of the lads in the Youth Team. And well done to Neil Woods and Callum Lester, and everyone else in the academy who can also take credit for getting these lads to where they are.

That Forest player was (wrongly) thinking how they had just lost to the likes of Grimsby, when they had very recently won 4-3 at Man City.

The kids might need teaching a bit of attitude.

It wouldn't surprise me if most of their lads turned up thinking the game was already won!

'Woods' acorns grow into Mighty (Mariner) Oaks and keep Forest at Bay" (tree)....or something

Ref Johnnie Oster's sending off for the Youth Team,I remember going to Villa Park in the mid 90s with a mate who's lad played for them that night. We lost and Im sure JO was sent off. He'd definitely played for the first team by then and it was one of the later rounds of the FA Youth Cup. Hope that helps trigger someone's memory.

Quoted from Nantwichmariner

Ref Johnnie Oster's sending off for the Youth Team,I remember going to Villa Park in the mid 90s with a mate who's lad played for them that night. We lost and Im sure JO was sent off. He'd definitely played for the first team by then and it was one of the later rounds of the FA Youth Cup. Hope that helps trigger someone's memory.

Yep that must have been it, cheers

Quoted from DaleH

My son is an under 16 at the academy, and has been there for two seasons. It has been a truly brilliant experience for him, in which he has developed well as a player, grown in confidence, and made a lot of super friends.

Sadly for him, we know that he won't have a scholarship with the youth team come next season, but even so we wouldn't have swapped the last two seasons for anything in the world. Every one of the 9x u16's not getting scholarships left the club immediately upon being notified on 28 October, to continue playing football elsewhere. And believe me, the decision making process must have been really difficult, as the under 16's were a fantastic group of players. My lad decided to stay until the end of the season though, as he wants to keep training and playing at the highest level that he can to assist him further in trying to make his football career elsewhere. And I cannot speak highly enough of how supportive Neil Woods and his staff have been in supporting him, in what is a difficult time for a young footballer. They have been terrific with him. On a personal note, we are very proud of our lad for showing the strength of character not to give up and keep pitching up three nights a week from Skegness and on matchdays. His hard work and Neil's support has already resulted in him getting an offer of a scholarship with a National League club, as well a strong possibility of a second opportunity with Chesterfield if they get promoted back to the EFL.  None of this would be possible without the support of Neil and the guys at the Grimsby Town Academy, and we will be forever grateful to them.

I hear lots of horror stories about kids released from academy's, and I have also read that book "No Hunger In Paradise" by Michael Calvin (and seen the documentary around it). All I can say is, that in the case of Grimsby Town Academy, this has not been our experience for my boy. He has been looked after brilliantly, with a high degree of compassion and care. I'd actually say that it has been managed in such a way that has quite possibly spurred him on even more to try and succeed.

It came as no surprise to me that the Youth Team turned Forest over last night, and I am absolutely buzzin for them all. Especially for the two boys from little old Skegness, Billy Bradley (capt) and Jack Collins. Billy and his family are good family friends of ours, and that lad is an absolute diamond of a boy. He is the most delightful kid you could ever wish to meet, who is mature beyond his years, caring, and with the most impeccable manners you could ever imagine. I am thrilled for both of them, but particularly for Billy.

Well done to all of the lads in the Youth Team. And well done to Neil Woods and Callum Lester, and everyone else in the academy who can also take credit for getting these lads to where they are.

That's great to hear Dale, and echoes what I've heard previously.  It's just a shame there is , necessarily, such a high rate of attrition. I remember speaking to Ian Knight who said that every squad was cut by around half at the end of every season. And of course those that manage to battle their way through to last years group have v. Little chance of making a single F.L. appearance.

Good luck to your lad, his determination n dedication deserves a bit of success

Woods beat Forest. I like it.

Quoted from DaleH

My son is an under 16 at the academy, and has been there for two seasons. It has been a truly brilliant experience for him, in which he has developed well as a player, grown in confidence, and made a lot of super friends.

Sadly for him, we know that he won't have a scholarship with the youth team come next season, but even so we wouldn't have swapped the last two seasons for anything in the world. Every one of the 9x u16's not getting scholarships left the club immediately upon being notified on 28 October, to continue playing football elsewhere. And believe me, the decision making process must have been really difficult, as the under 16's were a fantastic group of players. My lad decided to stay until the end of the season though, as he wants to keep training and playing at the highest level that he can to assist him further in trying to make his football career elsewhere. And I cannot speak highly enough of how supportive Neil Woods and his staff have been in supporting him, in what is a difficult time for a young footballer. They have been terrific with him. On a personal note, we are very proud of our lad for showing the strength of character not to give up and keep pitching up three nights a week from Skegness and on matchdays. His hard work and Neil's support has already resulted in him getting an offer of a scholarship with a National League club, as well a strong possibility of a second opportunity with Chesterfield if they get promoted back to the EFL.  None of this would be possible without the support of Neil and the guys at the Grimsby Town Academy, and we will be forever grateful to them.

I hear lots of horror stories about kids released from academy's, and I have also read that book "No Hunger In Paradise" by Michael Calvin (and seen the documentary around it). All I can say is, that in the case of Grimsby Town Academy, this has not been our experience for my boy. He has been looked after brilliantly, with a high degree of compassion and care. I'd actually say that it has been managed in such a way that has quite possibly spurred him on even more to try and succeed.

It came as no surprise to me that the Youth Team turned Forest over last night, and I am absolutely buzzin for them all. Especially for the two boys from little old Skegness, Billy Bradley (capt) and Jack Collins. Billy and his family are good family friends of ours, and that lad is an absolute diamond of a boy. He is the most delightful kid you could ever wish to meet, who is mature beyond his years, caring, and with the most impeccable manners you could ever imagine. I am thrilled for both of them, but particularly for Billy.

Well done to all of the lads in the Youth Team. And well done to Neil Woods and Callum Lester, and everyone else in the academy who can also take credit for getting these lads to where they are.

A gold star from me
All those lads last night were a credit to the club
They busted a gut and more for each other a joy to watch

Quoted from forza ivano

That's great to hear Dale, and echoes what I've heard previously.  It's just a shame there is , necessarily, such a high rate of attrition. I remember speaking to Ian Knight who said that every squad was cut by around half at the end of every season. And of course those that manage to battle their way through to last years group have v. Little chance of making a single F.L. appearance.

Good luck to your lad, his determination n dedication deserves a bit of success

Thank you.

At the end of the day, it's elite level professional sport isn't it, and if it was easy, we'd all be doing it wouldn't we. You just have to manage your expectations and be realistic about things. If you get those expectations right, then being in a professional academy can be a super all-encompassing holistic experience and journey.

Every season there are around 9500 players across the Premier League and EFL in professional football club academies. Only three quarters of 1% go on to have sustainable careers as football professionals. That's how hard it is to become a pro. But that doesn't mean that being in an academy without making it as a pro can't be a truly fantastic and life enriching experience. Just manage the expectations of the young player whilst encouraging them to graft. But most importantly, manage your own expectations as a parent.

But hey, lets not turn this thread into something that it wasn't intended to be. I merely wanted to highlight what a good job the academy do of looking after people, even those that are coming to the end of their time with them. So let's celebrate that we have a great academy and that the current crop of scholars in the youth team are doing fantastically well, no matter how many of them go onto become full time professionals. And lets hope that some of those will go on to be the next Harry Clifton's and Evan Kouri's at Grimsby.

Up the Mariners

Quoted from crusty ole pie

A gold star from me
All those lads last night were a credit to the club
They busted a gut and more for each other a joy to watch

We should have made our First Team watch them and see their determination and effort.
Ran themselves into the ground in the first 90 mins, then just started again for the next 30 mins.  Inspiring or what?

Quoted from DaleH

My son is an under 16 at the academy, and has been there for two seasons. It has been a truly brilliant experience for him, in which he has developed well as a player, grown in confidence, and made a lot of super friends.

Sadly for him, we know that he won't have a scholarship with the youth team come next season, but even so we wouldn't have swapped the last two seasons for anything in the world. Every one of the 9x u16's not getting scholarships left the club immediately upon being notified on 28 October, to continue playing football elsewhere. And believe me, the decision making process must have been really difficult, as the under 16's were a fantastic group of players. My lad decided to stay until the end of the season though, as he wants to keep training and playing at the highest level that he can to assist him further in trying to make his football career elsewhere. And I cannot speak highly enough of how supportive Neil Woods and his staff have been in supporting him, in what is a difficult time for a young footballer. They have been terrific with him. On a personal note, we are very proud of our lad for showing the strength of character not to give up and keep pitching up three nights a week from Skegness and on matchdays. His hard work and Neil's support has already resulted in him getting an offer of a scholarship with a National League club, as well a strong possibility of a second opportunity with Chesterfield if they get promoted back to the EFL.  None of this would be possible without the support of Neil and the guys at the Grimsby Town Academy, and we will be forever grateful to them.

I hear lots of horror stories about kids released from academy's, and I have also read that book "No Hunger In Paradise" by Michael Calvin (and seen the documentary around it). All I can say is, that in the case of Grimsby Town Academy, this has not been our experience for my boy. He has been looked after brilliantly, with a high degree of compassion and care. I'd actually say that it has been managed in such a way that has quite possibly spurred him on even more to try and succeed.

It came as no surprise to me that the Youth Team turned Forest over last night, and I am absolutely buzzin for them all. Especially for the two boys from little old Skegness, Billy Bradley (capt) and Jack Collins. Billy and his family are good family friends of ours, and that lad is an absolute diamond of a boy. He is the most delightful kid you could ever wish to meet, who is mature beyond his years, caring, and with the most impeccable manners you could ever imagine. I am thrilled for both of them, but particularly for Billy.

Well done to all of the lads in the Youth Team. And well done to Neil Woods and Callum Lester, and everyone else in the academy who can also take credit for getting these lads to where they are.

I don’t go in for all the ❌ ✅ 🌟 bollox but if this isn’t post of the week or whatever it’s called then I’d be amazed.