BURTON Albion Academy have welcomed 12 new scholars into the Professional Development Phase side ahead of the 2022/23 season.
The Brewers' U19s side will be competing once again in the EFL Youth Alliance North East Division with the new scholars, graduating from our U16 setup, joining six second years in the PDP this term.
Academy Manager Dan Robinson said: "We're really pleased to welcome so many new scholars to the Professional Development Phase this term.
"They join a strong group of second years in our youth team. We think it's a promising blend and they can all see the pathway that we keep mentioning - two years ago Charlie Williams and Ben Radcliffe were among our newest scholars heading into the PDP and on Tuesday they were playing a full half for the first team in a pre-season friendly.
"Kuba Niemczyk is another who has got a pro deal and is working well on his rehab, and all of that is before you get to the likes of Tom Hewlett, Callum Hawkins and Ciaran Gilligan who have been getting pre-season minutes with the senior side.
"That opportunity is there for these lads - there is plenty of hard work ahead for them and we will work closely with them both on and off the pitch to prepare them for the next stage in their careers and lives.
"We must also acknowledge those players that have left us over the summer, whether in their first or second years as scholars - we will continue to support those lads and we wish them nothing but success for the future."
Our new scholars are:
KAMIL DUDEK (Goalkeeper)
The Polish-born stopper spent eight years with Port Vale prior to his recent arrival at the Pirelli Stadium. His main attributes are his shot stopping and confidence to play out from the back.
CAMERON GILBERT (Defender)
A combative defender who can operate at either centre-back or full-back, Cameron joined the club eight months ago following three years with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
TOBY OAKES (Defender)
A ball-playing centre-back who prides himself on his tackling and reliability on the pitch. He joined the Brewers four years ago after spending five years with Birmingham City.
JOHNNY RUSH (Defender)
Repton School student Johnny is a technical modern full-back who loves to get forward in support of attacks and create opportunities. An Arsenal fan.
WILLIAM TAMEN (Defender)
William describes himself as an "aggressive" centre-back, but a technical one that likes to play the ball forward. A Chelsea fan, William loves to learn from watching Fikayo Tomori.
CHARLIE KNOWLES (Midfielder)
Liverpool fan Charlie is a central attacking midfielder who likes to get forward and create and finish opportunities.
CONNOR PACE (Midfielder)
Operating in central midfield, Leicester City fan Connor likes to keep things simple in the middle of the park, dictating the tempo and building attacks as well as focusing on defence.
RONNY WAKELIN (Midfielder)
An aggressive, deep-lying central midfielder who spend his early academy years at West Bromwich Albion, before joining the Brewers six years ago.
WILLIAM ADEMILUYI (Forward)
A striker who likes to dribble and run with the ball with an eye for goal. William is a Chelsea fan and his favourite player of all time is Ronaldinho.
KIYAN BAKER-MCKAY (Forward)
Like William, Kiyan is a keen dribbler with plenty of pace to cause problems for the opposition. He is a fan of both West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United.
CHÉ RANGER (Forward)
A pacy winger who likes to get into 1v1 positions. Che came through the academy at Coventry City and is the younger brother of former Brewers forward Devarn Green.
DYLAN SCOTT (Forward)
Full of energy and hard-working, Dylan likes to get stuck in and win the ball back high. He is a Stoke City and Manchester United fan.
The new scholars join defenders Drew Robinson, Finn Delap and Ben Maginness, as well as midfielders Oakley Hazell and Tristan Bennett and forward Joe Nyahwema in the Professional Development Phase.