Bright crop of Middlesbrough youngsters who could save the club millions down the line

Middlesbrough's Law McCabe
-Credit: (Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)


Was Michael Carrick right to throw so many young players into the Carabao Cup clash with Stoke City? Of course he was.

Developing young talent through the Academy is what Middlesbrough is all about, and has been for many years. Homegrown talent is the basic lifeblood of the Boro. The production line is never-ending.

The cup tie offered a great opportunity to see the lads in action as a unit in a competitive game. Not only will Carrick have learned a great deal from the match, but so will the lads themselves. Despite the result, it’s more likely that the experience will have helped, rather than hinder, their development.

READ MORE: Middlesbrough's Josh Coburn loan decision explained after Millwall's summer-long chase

Most of the lads still have some way to go yet, but others are coming along well. I was delighted to see that Carrick announced after the game that Alex Gilbert would be going nowhere before the end of the transfer window. Gilbert has been a slow-burner and still has to show that there is more to come. But he is knocking loudly on the door and that’s all we can expect.

It was unfortunate for Sol Brynn that he conceded five goals, yet arguably he had no chance with most of them with the possible exception of the last one. Brynn has progressed rapidly during loan spells with Swindon and Leyton Orient, where he was rated very highly and loved by those teams’ supporters.

The Championship represents another big step-up but Boro clearly believe that the keeper is good enough to establish himself at least as the team’s No.2 keeper. Seny Dieng is a good keeper at this level, but not a great one. There’s always a chance that Brynn will be challenging him very strongly for the first-team shirt before the season is out.

Harley Hunt is barely 17. But what a marvellous decision it was to blood the former Swindon defender in, whom Boro have high hopes. While his debut had mixed fortunes, Hunt will be all the better for the experience.

Fellow defender George McCormick impressed greatly in pre-season with his performances on the left flank. The signing of Neto Borges will make it more difficult for him to break through in the short term though hopefully there will be occasions when Boro can give him more pitch time.

Micah Hamilton is regarded as potentially a top talent but has not found the switch of clubs an easy transition to make. Arguably he needs more time to settle in. Law McCabe has already proved himself a good prospect who will surely progress even further as the season develops. He should stay involved with the first team.

And it was great to see Nathan Simpson make his debut against Cardiff, albeit a brief one. It will spur him on for a further taste of the action.

I’ve been a bit disappointed to see Josh Coburn go out on loan because this is a major season in his development, following last term’s injury disappointments. However, the bottom line is that Coburn might not have enjoyed too many opportunities had he stayed put.

He’s already made an impression at Millwall with his debut goal. If he enjoys a good season for the Lions he will come back to Boro a bigger and better player. Sonny Finch is another who would have struggled for openings with Boro this season, so the move to MK Dons can hand a major boost to his career. It’s up to him to take it.

Overall, Boro should be pleased to have so much young talent on their books, even though it may be some time before nine players under the age of 23 are again plunged into the starting line-up. The team which lined up against Stoke brings back memories of the legendary occasion when Steve McClaren played a near-all-Academy line-up in a Premier League game at Fulham.

It was something of an enforced decision, because Boro were due to play in the UEFA Cup Final against Sevilla four days later. Boro were facing their fifth game in 11 days at Fulham and the last thing McClaren needed was to see any of his senior players pick up knocks ahead of such a huge final.

And it wasn’t as if the Boro kids were just an ordinary band. Twenty years ago Boro won the FA Youth Cup with some style when they overcame Aston Villa by 4-0 on aggregate over two legs. So this was arguably the best group of youngsters ever produced by the Academy at the same time.

Virtually all of those who played at Fulham went on to enjoy big careers in the game. Only two of the players on duty at Craven Cottage had not come through the club’s youth system.

Danny Graham was a 20-year-old striker who Boro had picked up from local league football in the Chester-le-Street area. His fellow forward, Malcolm Christie, was the grand old man of the starting 11, having just celebrated his 27th birthday. Boro had signed the former England Under-21 international in a joint deal with Chris Riggott from Derby County in January 2003.

Otherwise, Boro were represented by a marvellous crop of young players who had been carefully coached through the Academy by John Pickering and Mark Proctor. In the event, two of the lads on duty at Fulham went on to play in the UEFA Cup Final.

James Morrison started the game in Eindhoven, but was brought off at half-time. Morrison was an outstanding right-sided midfielder. Time was to tell that it was a big mistake when Boro decided to sell him, because he went on to enjoy a marvellous career with West Brom.

Lee Cattermole, another who had been given plenty of pitch time in the Premier League by McClaren, came on as a late substitute against Sevilla. Matthew Bates was an unused sub in the final. He was one of the unluckiest players in the group, suffering a series of injuries which prevented him from enjoying a hugely successful career with the Boro.

The other starters at Fulham were keeper Ross Turnbull, defenders Andrew Davies, David Wheater and Andrew Taylor, midfielder Jason Kennedy and winger Adam Johnson. Every one of them went on to play a lot of league football, either with Boro or elsewhere.

Boro used three subs at Fulham, 39 year-old Colin Cooper coming on for his final Boro appearance at the end of a magnificent playing career. Teenagers Josh Walker and Tom Craddock also tasted some of the action, while David Knight and Tony McMahon unused subs.

Overall the lads played their hearts out and, after both sides had missed opportunities, Boro looked to be heading for a share of the spoils from a goalless draw as the game entered its final ten minutes. However, Wheater brought down Fulham’s lively sub Heidar Helguson inside the box and Helguson picked himself up to score the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 84th minute.

It’s great to know that the Academy is still producing top young talent. All of the lads who played in the Carabao Cup tie have long term potential with the club. Carrick has never been afraid to give young players a taste of the action, often bringing them on in the later stages of games which seemingly are already won.

It would be wonderful to think that all of them eventually become part of a very successful Boro senior side. potentially saving the club millions in the transfer market. Certainly the experience against Stoke can only help them towards achieving this goal.