Take a look at where our graduates have been plying their trade over the last 12 months
Whether it's throughout the pyramid on these shores, across Europe or further afield Royals Academy graduates have been making their mark over the past 12 months.
With the 2021/22 campaign seeing 17 academy graduates feature in blue and white, we take a look at how at how some of our former graduates have got on.
Premier League
Two of our earliest graduates continued to have top-flight involvement in Southampton colours; Shane Long, still full of running at the age of 35, scored an extra-time winner against Swansea City in the FA Cup and a match-sealer against Everton in the Premier League, while at the other end of the pitch Alex McCarthy kept five clean sheets in the 15 league appearances he made - including shutting out the Manchester City attack.
Attacker Tariqe Fosu, who was a regular in Brentford's promotion campaign last season, has made just a single Premier League appearance this season on top of two Carabao Cup outings, while Michael Olise has made 31 appearances in all competitions so far for Crystal Palace since moving last summer, and scored four goals.
Championship
In the second tier Michael Hector, now at Fulham, played seven times as the Cottagers won the Championship meanwhile Jack Stacey featured 27 times in all competitions as AFC Bournemouth also gained automatic promotion with the right back’s last match coming in our 1-1 draw on the South Coast.
Playing only one game fewer than Stacey, Gabriel Osho played his part in Luton Town achieving a play off berth and will hope to join those two in the Premier League if his side can get passed Huddersfield Town and get to Wembley.
Millwall just missed out on a Play Off spot on the final day with Jake Cooper playing 46 times in his fifth season at the New Den – scoring four match-winning goals for the Lions, including on his return to RG2 - but a disrupted campaign for fellow defender Alex Pearce saw the 33-year-old only play nine times.
A loss of form for Rob Dickie's QPR in the Spring also saw them miss out on the Play Offs with the defender playing 44 times as the Hoops finished 11th.
Finally, ‘keeper Ben Hamer, who departed the Royals in 2011, was between the sticks on 23 occasions keeping nine clean sheets for Russell Martin’s Swansea City.
League One
Jordan Obita scored two crucial late winners in the last two games of the season to ensure his Wycombe Wanderers side made the Play Offs and will be hoping to complete the job when they take on Sunderland at Wembley later this month as the Buckinghamshire side look to make an immediate return to the second tier.
MK Dons were the side Obita’s team beat to set up their date under the Arch with Tennai Watson coming off the bench for the hosts as they won on the night but lost on aggregate in what was the defender’s 36th game of a season Liam Manning’s men took the automatic race down to the final day.
Missing out on a top six spot was James Henry’s Oxford United despite his seven goals in 28 games whereas on the other side of the Varsity divide, it was an impressive season for Sam Smith and Cambridge United as they achieved a 14th place finish back in the third tier for the first time in 20 years with the forward finding the back of the net on 21 occasions.
Lincoln City striker Ben House spent the first half of the campaign at National League Eastleigh and scored four goals for the Spitfires before signing for the Imps in January and netted his first Football League goal away to Portsmouth on Good Friday.
League Two
Two former Royals who find themselves down the M4 at Swindon Town are Akin Odimayo and Ryan East who played 41 and 23 times for the Robins respectively as they secured a play off spot and take on Port Vale on Sunday afternoon as they look to return to the third tier at the first time of asking.
Midfielder Liam Kelly made 36 outings in his first season with Rochdale with one of his six goals coming against Swindon at the County Ground in October. He was joined for the campaign at Spotland on loan by Jeriel Dorsett who played 45 times in all competitions in his first full season of senior football as Dale finished 18th.
Four tier survival was achieved with three games to go for Stevenage with Jake Taylor playing no small part in that success with 51 appearances for the Hertfordshire club as Steve Evans’ side got over the line.
National League
In the fifth tier Lawson D’Ath returned in January 2022 after an almost nine-month layoff, due to injury, to feature 16 times for Yeovil Town as they secured a mid-table finish in the National League ahead of their final game of the season at Altrincham on Sunday.
Meanwhile Teddy Howe joined Barnet from Blackpool in January with the full back playing seventeen times over the course of the second half of the season ahead of their match with Bromley at the Hive this weekend.
It was a disappointing season for Josh Barrett however as King’s Lynn Town’s two season stay in the National League came to an end after a 21st place finish has seen them end the season at least nine points adrift of fourth bottom Aldershot Town despite the 23-year-old’s eight goals in 32 games for the Linnets.
Due to the demise of Macclesfield Town in 2020 for the last two campaigns there has only been 23 sides in the fifth tier however some of our academy graduates will be hoping to feature in the division when it returns to 24 teams for 2022/23.
Craig Tanner’s Ebbsfleet United finished third in the National League South table and await the winner of Oxford City and Eastbourne Borough to see who they play in a semi final tie as they attempt to join Maidstone United in the fifth season come next season, with Tanner hoping to add to his 31 matches and seven goals in the end of season finale.
Back in Berkshire Aaron Kuhl’s Slough Town fell short in their Play Off push to finish 13th with the midfielder scoring six goals in his 34 matches for the 26-year-old with them being pipped to 12th by Andre Burley’s Hungerford Town, with the Wycombe loanee playing nine times for Crusaders after just three appearances for Maidenhead United in another temporary switch before January.
Abroad
It was a successful first season in Bavaria for Omar Richards who featured 16 times for Bayern Munich as the 32-time German champions wrapped up a tenth successive league championship as well as the DFL Supercup.
Over in Portugal young forward Danny Loader made his Primeira Liga debut this campaign with Porto, even finding to find the back of the net in a 4:1 win over Boavista back in October as his side went on to clinch a 30th league title.
Across to Italy and Andrija Novakovich’s Frosinone of Serie B. Situated in the Lazio administrative region, the American forward has scored three goals this season in 29 games as his side missed out on the promotion play offs on head to head with Perugia, leaving them nineth in the table.
Continuing east we get to Ankara in Turkey and Aaron Tshibola’s current side, Genclerbirligi. The 27-year-old had featured 25 times this season, scoring in a 5-0 win over Menemenspor in his first season in the Turkish capital.
Jumping to South Korea, Australian Ryan Edwards, who made 10 appearances in the 2014/15 campaign for the Royals, is now plying his trade with Busan IPark. The K League 2 side’s season runs from February till October with the midfielder having played 11 times so far, plus once more in the Korean FA Cup, with his one goal so far coming against Gyeongnam FC.
Back in Europe, under 23s’ ‘keeper Jokull Andresson’s brother Axel has played five times for Orebro. The Icelandic centre back has featured five times in the Swedish second tier with his side currently eighth, six games into the season as it runs from April to October.
Finally, back in the British Isles, Dominic Samuel has played 30 games so far for Ross County. The Dingwall side were winless in the first 10 matches but then a significant upturn in form has seen Malky Mackay’s team claim a top six finish and still in the hunt for European football with a fifth place all that’s required for a UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying place.
