Four For The Future

Mick McCarhy's squad will soon have four new additions as a quartet of proud youngsters graduate from the academy to the proffesional ranks, three of whom are local lads.

They join the now growing list of talent succesfully nurtured by Academy Manager Chris Evans from boyhood to first professional contract.

Players such as Daniel Jones, Mark Little, Carl Ikeme, Stephen Gleeson, Kevin O'Connor, Lewis Gobern, Mark Davies, and perhaps the most succesful of the Alumni, Lee Naylor, Jolean Lescott and Matt Muray.

Not a bad clutch of talent to come through the ranks at a time when many Premiership sides opting to end their own youth program, choosing to shop abroad instead.

The local lads, Elliott Bennett, Lee Collins and Liam Hughes Joined the club as 9 year olds, with Dublin born and Mark Salmon joiningat 14, and all have had to fight hard to prove their worth over the years, as Evans went on to explain.

'Every year they have had to face tough assessments but they have progressed well and are now fully deserving of their contracts.

'And they are all level headed lads. They won't think that this means they have made it. The boys know that every day they are in the manager's presence they need to impress him if they are to have a long term future at Wolves and make the all important break through into the first team.'

'It shows that the Academy system is working throughout the age groups when you can take boys of just nine years of age through to become professional players.'

The four with formally sign deals in July of this year, keeping them at the club until July 2009.

Congratulations lads, and welcome to the pack!

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