Former scholars round up (02/02/21)

Two former Doncaster Rovers scholars from last season’s title-winning youth team will be plying their trade in America next season after signing scholarships with top universities.

Will McGowan, a virtual ever-present in midfield and renowned for his vision and technical ability, will be appearing for the Missouri Bears whilst the attack-minded Junior Smith has agreed terms with Eastern Florida State College. 

Both players would likely have got scholarships at DRFC had it not been for the pandemic and are following in the footsteps of James Morris, Lewis Scattergood, Evan Finnegan and Jordan Bradshaw, amongst others, who all went to America after being on the books at Cantley Park.  

This season - before it was suspended, Smith (below), who is from Greater Manchester, received some game-time at Irlam in the North-West Counties League after a spell on trial at FC United of Manchester. He also bagged more than 20 goals to top the youth team scoring charts last year.

Elsewhere, January was a good month for AJ Greaves as he made his first Football League appearance in Rovers’ win at Swindon Town. The 20-year-old then appeared in Rovers’ wins over Rochdale and Wimbledon but was cup-tied for the FA Cup Fourth Round game at West Ham United.

Branden Horton, likewise, missed that FA Cup tie at the London Stadium due to having featured for Redditch United against Hanley Town in the Qualifying Rounds in September, though Danny Amos came on as a substitute whilst Louis Jones, Ben Blythe and Liam Ravenhill were all on the bench.  

Another former scholar still under contract at the club is Lirak Hasani. The 18-year-old recently joined Gateshead on loan and made his first appearance in their win over Guiseley at the International Stadium on 16th January. He will stay with Gateshead until the end of this season - whenever that will actually be, who knows?

In the current youth team squad, Ethan Bojang will be absent for the next few weeks as he's been selected to represent The Gambia at the U20s African Nations Cup.

The McKay twins have long since departed DRFC and Covid-19 issues have hampered both lads’ game-time over the past month. The suspension of football below the Scottish Championship meant Paul McKay’s season at Airdrieonians came to an abrupt halt just after they were beaten in the Scottish Cup by Edinburgh City, whilst his twin, Jack McKay, was loaned from Chesterfield to Blyth Spartans - only for the National League North season to be temporarily curtailed.  

It’s unclear yet as to whether Jack, who is in the final year of his deal at Chesterfield, is one of the players who the club have placed on furlough because they have no part in new boss James Rowe’s plans.  

Will Longbottom was the second longest-serving player at DRFC when he left the club this time last year and the frontman is back scoring goals. Now 22, Longbottom was on target for Bradford Park Avenue against Boston United last month (in a game where a certain Paul Green was on the opposing team) before suffering an injury in their next game against Chester. 

Mitchell Lund, who is also at BPA, is continuing his recovery from a nasty facial injury which he sustained in November and Omar Sanyang, who featured in a couple of youth team games as a trialist in 2017/18, was an unused substitute in both matches.  

Will Longbottom in action for Park Avenue (Photo: York City FC)

Elsewhere, former scholars Tyler Walker and Adam Lee have been on the move in the past month as they’ve left Armthorpe Welfare to link up with their old boss, Mike Carmody, at Goole who compete one division higher in the Northern Counties East League (Premier Division). 

Goalkeeper Callum Fielding - the younger brother of Reece Fielding, who was in Rovers’ academy as a youngster, has also left Rossington Main to join Goole, too, with his replacement at Oxford Street likely to be Kian Johnson - who was part of last season’s title-winning youth team.

Two lads who haven’t been mentioned on this blog in recent times are Billy Whitehouse and Jordan Ball.  Whitehouse, 24, played a few times for Buxton in the Northern Premier League (Step 3) earlier this term, whilst Ball, 27, has recently been with Heanor Town - not too far from his hometown of Mansfield.

From more research, it would appear that Aziz Sankoh (a trialist full-back in the Under 18s only last year) has been involved in the set-up at Cray Valley Paper Mills (near London) this season.  

Some scholars from Rovers’ ranks have gone on to have decent careers at ‘elite’ level and of those, Jack Muldoon bagged two goals in five games for Harrogate Town in January - thus, as a result, he’s amongst the top scorers in Sky Bet League Two right now. Jonny Maxted thwarted him as Exeter City drew 0-0 in North Yorkshire a fortnight ago, though the ‘keeper’s team-mates have some work to do if they are to reach the Play-Offs for a fourth straight campaign.

James Husband has established himself in Blackpool’s side over the past month where, coincidentally, Jerry Yates (on Rovers’ books up to Under 16s level back in the day) is in a rich vein of form having scored three goals in his past four outings.

Liam Mandeville was a used substitute on five occasions for Chesterfield in January and, finally, Andrew Boyce’s promotion hopes with Eastleigh in the National League have been re-ignited as the Spitfires have won back-to-back games in the past week to climb up to 11th position - four points off the Play-Offs albeit with three games in-hand. 

To view the January round up, click here.

I’ll try and provide another update next month but whether that’ll come to fruition with the numerous issues surrounding non-league football right now, remains to be seen...