The class of 24-25
FOUR MORE BURTON SCHOLARS MAKE THE STEP UP WITH TAMEN
FOUR more Burton Albion youngsters have been handed their first professional contracts – joining Academy captain Will Tamen from the current group, who was given a deal in September.
They are striker Dylan Scott, defenders Toby Oakes and Cameron Gilbert and goalkeeper Kamil Dudek.
With no disrespect to the others, Scott’s is the name which jumps out from the group as, having made five first team appearances and scored his first senior goal last season, he has been the one supporters had been waiting for the club to sign up.
But the others are also indicative of the strong work being done by the Brewers’ youth set-up, in which Keith Gilroy took over from Dan Robinson as academy manager during last season when the latter moved on to a similar position with Peterborough United after almost eight years in the role.
All four have signed one-year deals and will be aiming to make their mark as a new era begins for the club under the ownership of the Nordic Football Group..
“This year we’ve put through more players than we have in a long time and we’re really proud of that,” said Gilroy.
“The Professional Development Phase (PDP) has had a very good year, finishing second in their league and they had an impressive run in the FA Youth Cup.
“We feel that these five players suit the plans of the club moving forward and we now look forward to focusing on bringing through the next batch of youngsters in the future.”
Here is a quick run-down of the five.
WILL TAMEN
Having earned his first professional contract at the start of last season, Tamen made his senior debut in the EFL Trophy against Everton under-21s last season.
In the midst of a defensive injury crisis, he then made his full League One debut, starting away to Peterborough United.
A big, strong defender, Tamen spent the second half of the season on loan with Mickleover, where he was at the heart of the defence as they reached the SLP Central playoffs.
“The loan was perfect for Will as it was essential for us to get him out on loan once his professional contract was secured,” said Gilroy.
“His performances have been exceptional and what that’s given him is the confidence to perform in a physical environment and also the experience of already being exposed to men’s football at his age.”
DYLAN SCOTT
Among his five first-team appearances last season, Scott scored his first senior goal after coming off the bench in the Bristol Street Motors
Trophy game away to Blackpool, an instinctive swept effort wholly in keeping with the reputation he is developing as a natural finisher.
In his two years as a scholar, Scott scored more than 50 goals and that, combined with his work rate, made it seem certain a professional deal would be forthcoming.
“What Dylan has proved over these last two years is that he has a knack of scoring goals,” said Gilroy.
“Obviously, the step up from academy football to a League One first team is huge and we don’t expect him to flourish straightaway but to have someone in the building with his goalscoring qualities is very rare these days.”
TOBY OAKES
After showing high qualities in his first year as a scholar, Oakes was unfortunately sidelined for a large portion of last season with a serious knee injury.
He is a versatile player with the ability to play across the back four as well as in central midfield and the quality he showed in his first year was enough to show the academy coaches that he deserved a pro contract.
“In his first year, Toby showed that he had a lot of potential and a very high ceiling and, once he gets fit, we hope that he can get back to where he was, as he was developing into a very good player,” said Gilroy.
“He is technically very good. He can handle the ball in tight positions and he can play anywhere across the back three or four as well as in midfield.
“For us as an academy, it’s important to produce players who can support the first team in various positions and that versatility is something that is so important in first team football.”
CAMERON GILBERT
Another defender, Gilbert came to the Brewers following his release from Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been a standout performer since he joined the academy, with notable outstanding performances
in the FA Youth Cup in front of the Pirelli Stadium crowd.
Gilbert has been one of the most consistent high performers in the academy throughout his scholarship and will now look to take his defensive skill-set into the first team setting.
“Cam is a very consistent defender,” said Gilroy.
“We took him in after he was released at Wolves and what we saw in him straightaway is how well he reads the game defensively.
“Last year in particular, when the academy would play against the first team in training, we were extremely impressed with his one-on-one defending against professional wingers, which told us a lot about his ability.”
KAMIL DUDEK
The young goalkeeper had an strong second year of his scholarship, developing as a great shotstopper and ball-playing keeper.
Dudek was regularly out on the training pitch with the first team last season, joining the “goalkeepers’ union” at the Brewers and learning from first team keeper Max Crocombe, who won Player of the Season in the last campaign.
“We find that with goalkeepers, they usually need a bit longer to develop but we know that he has the attributes both physically and mentally to take him far,” said Gilroy.
“He has great character, he’s comfortable with the ball at his feet, he’s always brave when trying to play out from the back and with the work from our goalkeeping coaches, he’s become much more commanding in his area.
“He’ll fit into the first team environment well.
“Hopefully, there will be a good, strategised plan to develop him further and fit into the first team in a way that suits the head coach.”