One of the biggest criticisms of English football, especially in recent years, has been that there are not enough exciting, quality young English players out there. Well ten Lower League players are currently going against that perception. Despite hailing from different leagues in England, they are all united by their potential to be great England stars in the future, with a select few seen as among the best this country has seen for generations. With a host of top flight clubs casting a watchful eye over the talent in the Lower Leagues with many earning rave reviews in the media, it is no wonder that some people are going mad about the boys.
Connor Wickham (Ipswich Town)
Undoubtedly one of the hottest properties in the Npower Championship. Wickham has garnered interest from several top flight clubs in England and was named the Football League Player of the Year at the recent Npower Football League Awards. Since making his first team debut in April 2009 at the age of just sixteen years and eleven days, Wickham has cemented his place in the first team, playing thirty eight games so far this season and scoring seven goals. Despite signing an extension on his contract which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2014, with bids of £10,000,000 – £15,000,000 rumoured to be lined up for the player, the Tractor Boys will have to fight tooth and nail to keep hold of their prized asset.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton)
Another product of the excellent academy which has brought through the likes of Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale in recent years, Oxlade-Chamberlain, despite being a largely unknown youth team player, has become a vitally important player for The Saints this season in their push for promotion from Npower Football League One. He is a winger who has pace to burn as many defenders have come to find this season however his most valuable attribute is that of his reliable crossing and final ball, which striker Rickie Lambert has been able to thrive off this season. Like Walcott he is remarkably levelheaded for his age and has shown himself to be unfazed by the obstacles placed in front of him.
Alex Smithies (Huddersfield Town)
Anyone in need of a goalkeeper? Mr Wenger? Dubbed one of the best and brightest footballing talents in the country by none other than Sky Sports, Smithies has risen to prominence in recent years with some truly eye-catching displays between the sticks for The Terriers. At the age of twenty-one years old, he is already on the brink of making one hundred appearances for the club. His sense of anticipation is generally very good and this is matched by his distribution of the ball to the outfield players. Having made his England-U21 debut last year against Portugal and Lithuania respectively, expect him to provide stiff competition for current England Number One, Watford’s Scott Loach.
Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield Town)
Smithies teammate has been, up until he suffered a horror leg injury almost a month ago against Rochdale, a highly influential outfield player for Lee Clark’s team this season and was named in the Professional Footballers’ Association 2011 Npower Football League One Team of the Year. Having spent a few years drifting in the Lower Leagues he came back with a bang with Stockport County, guiding them to promotion from Npower Football League Two in the 2007-2008 season. Since his transfer to The Galpharm Stadium in 2009 he has made ninety appearances scoring nineteen goals in the process. Boasting a cracking left foot he has scored some great goals this season, most notably against Sheffield Wednesday.
James Henry (Millwall)
Having been loaned out to a number of Football League clubs during a fairly uneventful time at Reading, Henry has finally able to establish himself at a Millwall where he has made an immediate impact with this club this season. An out and out right winger, he has really stood out with his pace, threat and occasional trickery proving somewhat of a difficulty for Npower Championship defenders. Like Oxlade-Chamberlain, his delivery is constantly improving and his crosses have been gratefully met by the head of in-form striker Steve Morrison. His defensive side of the game still needs working on however his natural width gives him plenty of space to attack.
Ashley Barnes (Brighton & Hove Albion)
With a reputation as a no-nonsense target man, willing to work hard and unsettle opposition defenders, Barnes has made a difference to Brighton and Hove Albion’s attack – providing them with pace and power – with his goals helping to fire them to both promotion and the Npower Football League One title. He qualifies to play for Austria courtesy of his grandmother and has already been called up to their U-20 team. A few more years in the Npower Championship to further enhance his goal scoring prowess will certainly do him no harm and we could potentially see him following in the footsteps of Everton’s Jermaine Beckford.
Nathaniel Clyne (Crystal Palace)
Like Southampton, The Eagles have a constant knack of producing talented young players, with Clyne one of a number of youngsters, including Wilfried Zaha and Sean Scannell, currently flirting with the first team under manager Dougie Freedman. With pace, strength and great confidence in his own ability, Clyne has all the attributes to be a great attacking full-back. Always looking to play up the pitch, rarely passing the ball backwards or sideways, he always looks to feed strikers with killer balls and provides a lot of movement. With so much potential at such a young age and with still more room for improvement, expect to see plenty of competition for this very promising youngster’s signature.
Lewis McGugan (Nottingham Forest)
Every club needs a set-piece specialist and the teenager is that man for his hometown club. With an impressive portfolio of strikes to his name, McGugan has become an integral part of the Forest team playing alongside Captain Paul McKenna in the heart of the midfield. He has good close control of the ball as well as a good work ethic which every midfielder needs. With help from the defensive minded Mckenna, McGugan is able to provide creativity and support to Forest’s wide men and strikers. With former academy stars Jermaine Jenas, Andy Reid and Michael Dawson having already made the transition to the top flight, it will be interesting to see if McGugan will be tempted to follow in their footsteps sooner rather than later.
Adam Lallana (Southampton)
Capable of playing in many different positions, Lallana fulfils the criteria needed for a ‘utility man’. Commonly deployed as an attacking midfielder playing off the strikers, he has pace, strength and good movement which allows him to drift in the final third of the pitch, often making it difficult for defenders to track his runs. Success has always been in his blood stemming from his time with the Southampton Academy where he won the FA Youth Cup. Playing in an attacking team full of creativity has allowed Lallana to thrive in Npower Football League One and he’ll be a key player for The Saints in their play-off push as the season draws to an end.
Dale Jennings (Tranmere Rovers)
Named the Npower Football League One Apprentice of the Year, beating Oxlade-Chamberlain in the process, wonderkid Jennings has shot to prominence with The Super Whites – despite only breaking into the first team this season. Boasting an impressive first touch and having scored some spectacular goals this season, it is little wonder that he is being tracked by several top flight clubs. Given the interest in him along with Les Parry’s team being cash-strapped as it is, the club may well be forced to sell their brightest talent over the summer months. Nonetheless, they may seek to reach a deal whereby they will be able retain their teenage striker on loan for the whole of next season.
Other names that could be on this list include midfielders Scott Sinclair (Swansea City) and Johhny Howson (Leeds United) from the Npower Championship, midfielder Elliott Bennett (Brighton & Hove Albion) from Npower Football League One as well as defender Joe Skarz (Bury) from Npower Football League Two. Whilst Lower League clubs stand to gain from a monetary perspective – often finding it hard to refuse such attractive offers – helping to either pay off club debts or bring fresh new faces into the squad, the fear is that some players, by moving early in their careers, may lose out on valuable first-team opportunities which may consequently place a break on their development. Arguably though, a player’s greatest fear is simply either not being able to justify the hefty fee paid for him, or failing to make the grade at the very highest level and thus falling back into the Lower Leagues. Let’s hope for their sake, that they don’t become another lost generation.
