Wanderers have welcomed their new intake of scholars who will start their full-time youth careers with the club next season.
The Whites have taken on 10 players to start two-year terms within the club’s youth set-up, combining training with an academic qualification under the League Football Education scheme.
Eight of the group have progressed through the Whites’ Academy programme, with two – Jack Westwood and Giovanni Loureiro – linking up with Wanderers last season to earn a longer stay.
Having already had a taste of U19s football in the EFL North-West Youth Alliance, the group will now combine with the second-year scholars to make up the core of Wanderers’ youth-team squad under lead professional coach Dave Gardiner.
The teenagers will also be looking to challenge for game-time in the Whites’ new-look ‘B’ team which is being introduced for the start of the 2022/23 season.
The new scholars, who will report for the start of pre-season training in the final week of June, are:
Jack Dallimore: Goalkeeper who joined the club at U15 level and played regularly in the U19’s during the 21/22 season.
Harrison Fleury: Versatile forward who can play in a number of different attacking positions.
Leo Graham: Creative attacking player with an eye for goal who made a number of appearances in the U19s last season.
Sean Hogan: A commanding central defender who made a number of appearances at U19 level last season.
Sam Inwood: Left-sided defender or wingback with an ability to get forward who established himself as regular in the U19s.
Giovanni Loureiro: Attack-minded midfielder or ‘number 10’ with technical ability to create and score.
Anthony Pinto: A speedy right winger who offers a threat in the final third.
Yestin Shakespear: Clinical striker who scored over 30 times in his U16 season, including a hat-trick for the U19s in the Youth Alliance.
Joseph Toole: Versatile defender capable of playing in a number of positions who also featured in the U19s last season.
James Westwood: Joined Wanderers last season as a regular in the U16s with the ability to play a number of different midfield positions.