JD Club NI’s 2005 players are heading to London over the Easter weekend – and they will be facing some top quality opposition.
The Under-14 team from the Irish FA’s elite development programme, who are coached by Michael McClean, are set to compete in the annual West Ham United U14 Football Cup at West Ham’s academy in Romford.
They will play five games - each lasting 40 minutes - in the tournament on Saturday and Sunday (20 and 21 April).
The line-up for the competition includes West Ham’s academy team and sides from three other Premier League academies - Leicester City, Everton and Cardiff City - as well as PVF Academy (Vietnam), IFK Stocksund (Sweden), Total Soccer Cayman (Cayman Islands), 2300 Amager (Denmark), Swansea City Academy and JD Club NI.
For the trip to London head coach McClean has made six changes from the 18-strong panel which defeated a US Youth Soccer U14 team 1-0 in Larne at the weekend.
Joining the squad are goalkeepers Rian Brown (Cliftonville) and Orann Donnelly (Ballymoney United) along with Portadown defender Johnny McCullough.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Jamie Donley and Glentoran striker Mitchell Watterson have also been called up, while Padraig McVicker has replaced fellow Cliftonville midfielder Chris Cope in the squad.
Also missing out are goalkeepers Matthew Williamson (Cliftonville) and Dylan Braik (Glenavon), midfielder Cormac McNally (Glenavon) and forwards Michael Morgan (Cliftonville) and Leon Boyd (Bertie Peacock Youths, Coleraine).
Last year the JD Club NI 2004s narrowly missed out on being overall winners of the inaugural West Ham United Cup after winning four out of their five games.
JD Club NI U14s squad for 2019 West Ham Cup:
Goalkeepers – Rian Brown (Linfield), Orann Donnelly (Ballymoney United).
Defenders – Daithi McCallion (Derry City), Ruairi McConville (Linfield), Conor Cunningham (Greenisland), Thomas Connolly (Linfield), Marc Davidson (Cliftonville), Johnny McCullough (Portadown).
Midfielders – Jack Patterson (Greenisland), Zach Cowan (Portadown), Caolan Donnelly (Cliftonville), Kenny Ximenes (Dungannon Swifts), Padraig McVicker (Cliftonville).
Forwards – Mitchell Watterson (Glentoran), Luca Doherty (Bertie Peacock Youths, Coleraine), Ethan Sousa (Warrenpoint Town), Shea Brennan (Crusaders), Jamie Donley (Tottenham Hotspur).
