Alumni earn their shirts...
One of the proudest moments of a player’s career is the day they are awarded their first team debut and the club were rightly proud to mark this achievement.
In recognition of the hard work those players have put in throughout their years at the academy, the club award a framed shirt to recognise the occasion.
Eight players made the step into the first team last season, with five coming in our EFL Cup tie with Swansea City at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in August 2021.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, Claudio Osorio and Kian Leavy all started the meeting with the Swans with Jahmari Clarke and Michael Stickland entering the action from the bench.
Tyrell Ashcroft became the sixth when he debuted at Millwall - going on to represent us on four occasions before departing for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer - and then Louie Holzman added his name.
The 18-year-old was named in the starting XI for our FA Cup meeting with Kidderminster Harriers in January, with Osorio and later Stickland joining him on the pitch at Aggborough.
Right back Kelvin Abrefa was the next of the 21-22 debutants when he took to the field during our 150th anniversary match with Coventry City in Berkshire last February, and has gone on to add five further appearances.
Five of these players have gone on to feature for the first team this campaign, namely in the EFL Cup tie with Stevenage in August, and in that match, they were joined by our first academy debutant of 2022-23 in forward Basil Tuma.
Tuma, started alongside Ehibhatiomhan up front, and played the first 55 minutes of the tie in RG2 and collected his shirt last week.
The forward was number 75 off the production line as our Academy continues its invaluable supply to the first team set up. There are plenty of players who have paved the way, and let's hope that more of homegrown talents can follow the examples the likes of Tom Holmes and Tom McIntyre and establish themselves over the coming years!
Take a look at our previous graduates below.