Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy

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Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy are the reserve team and the youth development system respectively of Birmingham City Football Club. The reserve team, established in 1879, played in the Southern Division of the FA Premier Reserve League in the 2007–08 season, but following the first team's relegation from the Premier League, the club decided not to enter a reserve team in any league. The Academy, established in its current form in 1999, trains boys in age groups from under 9s through to under 18s, and runs an Under-18 team which competes in the FA Premier League Academy (South).

Contents 1 Reserves 2 Academy 3 Players 3.1 Reserves 3.2 Academy (under-18s) 4 References

[edit] Reserves

Birmingham City have had a reserve team since 1879. They played friendly matches until gaining a place in the Birmingham & District League in 1893. In their third season they finished in runners-up spot, an achievement repeated in 1907 and 1921. In 1915 they were runaway winners of the league; in the 34-game season they scored 160 goals, of which Charlie Duncan scored 52. In 1921–22, following the reorganisation associated with the formation of the Third Division North, they joined the Central League, which now consisted of reserve teams of northern Football League clubs. In 1947–48 they lost their place to Barnsley, so joined the Football Combination, the equivalent reserve league for teams in the southern half of the country, rejoining an expanded Central League in 1982.^[1]

Since the 1999–2000 season, the league played in by the reserve team has depended on the league position of the club's first team. Relegation for the first team in 2006 meant the reserves dropped out of the FA Premier Reserve League into the Central League for 2006–07; they finished top of the Central Division of that League.^[2] Promotion back to the Premier League for the first team meant that for 2007–08 the reserves were placed in the Southern Division of the Premier Reserve League. Birmingham City fields its reserve team in the Birmingham Senior Cup, which it has won on twelve occasions, most recently in 2008 after a 5–0 win over Burton Albion.^[3]

Following the first team's relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2007–08 season, the reserve team was no longer eligible to play in the Premier Reserve League. The option to enter the Central League was not taken up, the club deciding instead not to enter the reserves in a league, but to play only friendly matches and the Birmingham Senior Cup.^[4]

The reserve team's playing staff consists of younger players and those on the fringe of the first-team squad, augmented by first-team players recovering from injury and academy players gaining experience. They play most of their matches at Damson Park, the home ground of Solihull Moors; they occasionally play at St Andrew's, for instance when an unusually high attendance is expected.

[edit] Academy

In 1996, the directors of Birmingham City dismantled their youth development system in the belief, according to manager Barry Fry, that the Bosman ruling meant "they may invest a substantial sum in producing a player who was then picked off, without cost, by a rival club", and the £250,000 annual saving would be better spent bringing in players from outside.^[5] Fry's successor as manager, Trevor Francis, insisted that the system should be reinstated and brought in Brian Eastick to oversee the process; by 1999 the club had met the Football Association's criteria and received a licence to operate an Academy.^[6][7]

Since the youth system was re-established, a number of players have graduated to careers in League football at Birmingham or elsewhere, some examples being Darren Carter, Craig Fagan, Andrew Johnson, Marcos Painter and Mat Sadler. Academy products who have represented their country include Colin Doyle (Republic of Ireland),^[8] David Howland (Northern Ireland U-21),^[9] Sone Aluko (England U-19),^[10] Krystian Pearce (2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup with England U-17),^[11] and Aaron Moses-Garvey, whose St Kitts and Nevis U-20 side reached the final qualifying round for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup^[12] and who made his full international debut in February 2008.^[13] Ten Academy members represented their country during the 2007–08 season.^[14]

The Academy manager is Terry Westley. In the 2006–07 season, he presided over the under-18 side reaching the quarter final of the FA Youth Cup,^[15] and two years later they reached the semifinal of the same competition.^[16] The Academy teams play their matches at the club's training ground, Wast Hills, at West Heath, south Birmingham.

[edit] Players

[edit] Reserves

All members of the first-team squad are eligible to play for the reserves, and many do so on an occasional basis when recovering from injury or to keep up match fitness while not playing first-team football. Academy players are also eligible to play for the reserves, and the younger reserves may feature for the academy side. The following players appeared for the reserves in pre-season matches and during the 2008–09 season. Those players having appeared in 2008 are covered by the match programme and website references after the date of last update. Players making their first appearance more recently are referenced individually, as are otherwise unidentified triallists. Squad numbers, where present, refer to the first team squad; reserve and youth teams do not have squad numbers. Players marked "left the club" did so during the season.

Last updated 24 February 2009.^[17][18]

No. Position Player FW Sone Aluko (left the club) Jordan Anderson 24 MF Semih Aydilek Brighton DF Seamus Coleman (triallist)[19] 13 GK Colin Doyle MF Luke Hubbins Jamie Dunphy Evans FW Robert Gradwell DF André Hainault (triallist)[20] MF Arturo ten Heuvel (triallist)[21] MF Jakub Hronec MF Luke Hubbins FW Jake Jervis MF Çağrı Kodalak GK Artur Krysiak (on loan to Motherwell)[22] MF Jordi López (triallist)[23] 35 GK Dean Lyness DF Michael McKerr (on loan to Dundalk)[24] FW James McPike (on loan to Solihull Moors)[25] 31 MF Mitchell McPike

No. Position Player DF Stefan Metcalfe FW Aaron Moses-Garvey MF Souleymane Mamam (triallist)[23] MF Mineiro (triallist)[21] 17 MF Jordon Mutch MF Adam Newbury MF James O'Brien MF Will Packwood 27 DF Krystian Pearce (on loan to Scunthorpe United)[26] DF Dan Preston 20 DF Franck Queudrue DF Jacob Rowe DF Luke Rowe DF Jack Rutter 29 MF Ashley Sammons MF Shao Jiayi (triallist)[20] FW Jamie Sheldon 32 MF Robin Shroot (triallist)[23] FW Jarred Stevens (triallist)[27] DF Shaun Timmins MF Shane Williams 25 DF Jared Wilson

[edit] Academy (under-18s)

The following players played for the academy under-18 team during the 2008–09 season. Those players having appeared in 2008 are covered by the match programme reference after the date of last update. Players making their first appearance in 2009 are referenced individually.

Last updated 24 February 2009.^[28]

No. Position Player Akwasi Asante Jordan Anderson GK Jack Butland [29] MF Jamie Dunphy Reece Fleet FW Robert Gradwell Mitch Hancox FW Josh Hawker MF Jakub Hronec MF Luke Hubbins FW Jake Jervis 35 GK Dean Lyness MF Çağrı Kodalak DF Michael McKerr (on loan to Dundalk)[24] 31 MF Mitchell McPike

No. Position Player FW Aaron Moses-Garvey 31 MF Jordon Mutch MF Adam Newbury MF Will Packwood Joel Powell (triallist) DF Dan Preston Nathan Redmond DF Jacob Rowe DF Luke Rowe DF Jack Rutter 29 MF Ashley Sammons FW Jamie Sheldon DF Shaun Timmins MF Shane Williams

[edit] References

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