Southampton’s Under-18s travel to Norwich for their opening match of the 2021/22 season, as they get their Under-18 Premier League (South) campaign underway.
THE MATCH
Norwich City vs Saints
Under-18 Premier League (South)
Lotus Training Centre
Saturday 14th August, 11am BST
The 2020/21 season was a difficult one for Saints’ youngsters in the Under-18 Premier League, finishing bottom of the table.
They’ll be hoping to hit the ground running with a positive result on opening day as they travel to Lotus Training Centre to face Norwich.
Norwich finished the 2020/21 season in ninth place, though they had a somewhat turbulent end to the end of their campaign.
While results were disappointing for Saints, they did finish the season with a couple of standout performances, including two victories over Reading.
Saints will be hoping to right the wrongs of their last meeting with Norwich, after falling to a 5-0 defeat back in April.
MANAGER’S THOUGHTS
“It’s not my objective to win every football game, it’s to make sure the boys are developing and working towards a new game idea,” said Under-18s coach Carl Martin.
“The mood in the camp at the moment is really optimistic around what they can do this season in terms of performances and results are just a bonus.
“Obviously we want to finish as high as we can, win as many games as we can but I think it’s always around the long-term vision of the academy to try and transition players through the age groups and make that transition as smooth as possible.
“The pathways here at the club are pretty evident. I’ve been at clubs before where you stop believing in the message you’re told to communicate to players and parents, here there is a pathway.
“When you talk to players and say there will be opportunities if you develop and stay on the right path, they believe that because the proof is in the pudding.
“The manager will play young players, the B Team will play young players and the Under-18s will play the younger players, it happens all the way through.”
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