Aston Villa F.C. Reserves and Academy
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Aston Villa F.C. Reserves and Academy
| Full name | Aston Villa Football Club Reserves | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Villans | ||
| Founded | 1874 | ||
| Ground | Home Stadium: Villa Park Aston Birmingham B6 6HE England Home Stadium (Winter): Greene King Stadium Hinckley Leicestershire LE10 3DR England (Capacity: Villa Park: 42,585 Greene King Stadium: 4,329) |
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| Chairman |  Randy Lerner |
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| Head Coach |  vacant |
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| League | FA Premier Reserve League | ||
| 2009-10 | FAPRL Southern Division, 1st | ||
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Aston Villa Reserves are the reserve team of Aston Villa, they have been part of the FA Premier Reserve League since its foundation in 1999 and are current holders of the Premier Reserve League South title. The team plays its home games at Villa Park - during the months of Autumn and Spring - and the Greene King Stadium (home of Hinckley United) - during the winter months. In accordance with Villa's impressive youth development, the team has received success in recent years - as well as becoming victorious in the 2003/04 and 2007/08 seasons, the team has regularly sustained high positions along with the second-string becoming a place of learning for the likes of current first-teamers Ciaran Clark, Barry Bannan, Marc Albrighton, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Nathan Delfouneso and Eric Lichaj, as well as former players Gary Cahill, Lee Hendrie, Darius Vassell, Craig Gardner, Steven Davis and Stephen O'Halloran amongst many others. The team is currently coached by Kevin MacDonald, but Aston Villa Youth Team coaches Gordon Cowans and Tony McAndrew also have close links with the second string. The Reserve team is primarily made up of players aged 16–19 - in the priority of development. The team also regularly includes fringe first-team players and first-team players recovering from injury.
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Contents
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Matchday
The Reserve team play their league matches at Villa Park or their training ground at Bodymoor Heath. During the winter months matches are held at Greene King Stadium, home ground of Hinckley United.
History
Signs of the team date back to 1892, when Aston Villa Reserves joined the Birmingham & District League. After finishing in the runners-up position twice in the first 2 seasons of the competition, Villa finally won their first trophy in the 1894/95 season, amazingly winning 26 out of 30 league games and losing just once all season. Several titles followed after this achievement, including an extraordinary run of 8 consecutive titles between 1902 and 1910. When Villa finally left the Birmingham & District League in 1915, they had accumulated a total of 12 league titles and 6 runners-up finishes.
After that, the reserve team played in the Central League for many years, becoming champions in 1929-30, 1963-64 and 1992-93.
In 1999–2000, the FA Premier Reserve League was set up, Villa were one of the founding members, and were split into the Northern section of the league. Three disappointing seasons followed, however in the 2003/04 season - inspired by brothers Stefan Moore and Luke Moore - Villa eased to their first title. In the two seasons which followed (04-05 and 05-06) - Villa agonisingly finished both campaigns as runners-up, both times to Manchester United. In the 2006/07 season, for the first time since its introduction, the FA Premier Reserve League excluded Coca-Cola Championship teams from playing in the league, with the 20 senior English Premiership teams parallelling the teams involved in the FA Premier League. This also meant that due to geographical circumstances, Aston Villa Reserves were switched from the Northern Division, to the Southern equivalent, for the first time since the start of the original format in 1999. Villa eventually finished 4th - winning 9 out of their 18 games, with Luke Moore the top goalscorer, with 7. The season saw the impressive development of several youngsters, most notably including Zoltán Stieber, Shane Lowry and Stephen O'Halloran, all of which were rewarded with first-team opportunities in the pre-season fixtures, prior to the 2007/08 season.
In the 2007/08 season, Aston Villa Reserves clinched the Southern title for the first time in their history, however they lost in the national final, losing 3-0 to Liverpool. This included the most goals scored by all 20 participating teams (38) and two 6-0 victories (against Chelsea and Derby County, home and away respectively). Swede Tobias Mikaelsson was the top scorer with 8 goals, followed by strikers Nathan Delfouneso and Marlon Harewood (4 each). Zoltán Stieber and Nathan Baker both scored twice. The season was also notable for the impressive development of several young players, such as Nathan Delfouneso, Barry Bannan, Ciaran Clark and - most remarkably - the rise of young defender Nathan Baker, who stepped up from Under-16 level to Reserve regular inside a single season. Furthermore, Reserve regulars; Nathan Delfouneso, Marc Albrighton, Elliot Parish and Nathan Baker were all rewarded for their efforts, with places on the summer tour of Switzerland.
In the 2008/09 season, Aston Villa retained their Southern title and beat North champions Sunderland 3-1 at Villa Park to be declared Premier Reserve League Champions for the 2008/09 season
In the 2009/10 season, Aston Villa won their third consecutive Southern title and lost to North Champions Manchester United 3-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford in the Premier Reserve League Final 2009/10.
Current Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Hong Kong Soccer Sevens
The yearly invitational seven-a-side tournament brings together the best youth and reserve sides in the world, and this competition has brought notable success to Aston Villa in the past - with a squad of reserve and youth players fielded for the 3 day event.
Villa - inspired by Stephen Cooke and Steven Foley clinched the trophy in the final against Manchester United in 2004 for their first success. Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor captained Villa to the semi-final in 2006 - losing to the eventual winners Urawa Red Diamonds - and also received the 'Player Of The Tournament' accolade. Villa won the competition again in May 2007, beating Central Coast Mariners of Australia in the final, with Hungarian playmaker Zoltán Stieber winning 'Player Of The Tournament'. Villa then went onto win the competition again a year later, defeating Yau Yee Select, Bulova Rangers and PSV Eindhoven in the group stages. Further victories against Eastleigh, Australian Institute of Sport and Glasgow Celtic in the final, ensured the title was regained. Additionally, young Scottish midfielder Barry Bannan won the 'Player Of The Tournament' accolade. Aston Villa won the tournament in 2008 and reached the Semi-final in 2009. Most recently Villa won the tournament in 2010.[3]
Honours
- Winners:
- 1894/95, 1895/96, 1899/00, 1902/03, 1903/04, 1904/05, 1905/06, 1906/07, 1907/08, 1908/09, 1909/10, 1911/12.
- Runners-Up:
- 1892/93, 1893/94, 1897/98, 1898/99, 1900/01, 1910/11.
- Winners:
- 1879/80, 1881/82, 1882/83, 1883/84, 1884/85, 1887/88, 1888/89, 1889/90, 1890/91, 1895/96, 1898/99, 1902/03, 1903/04, 1905/06, 1907/08, 1908/09, 1909/10, 1911/12, 1984/85.
- Runners-Up:
- 1875/86, 1880/81, 1892/93, 1894/95, 1900/01, 1901/02, 1923/24, 1982/83, 1994/95, 1995/96.
FA Premier Reserve League North
- Winners:
- 2003/04.
- Runners-Up:
- 2004/05, 2005/06.
FA Premier Reserve League South
- Winners:
- 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10.
- Winners:
- 2008/09.
- Runners-Up:
- 2007/08, 2009/10.
HKFC International Soccer Sevens
- Winners:
- 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010.
Aston Villa Academy
Aston Villa Academy is the youth development system of Premier League team Aston Villa, it covers the age of under-18's - and for the 2007/08 season - participated in Group B of the FA Premier Academy League. Victories over Arsenal and Manchester City subsequently earnt Villa the national Academy title in 2007/08.
In the 2007/08 season Villa clinched top spot in Group B, impressively notching the most wins (22), most points (68) and most goals (84) of all 41 clubs involved. Villa's youngsters were drawn against Group A winners Arsenal in the semi-final, which was won via a single strike from Nathan Delfouneso. This subsequently meant a final against FA Youth Cup winners Manchester City, which was comprehensively won 2-0, with goals from James Collins and Chris Herd. The top scorers for the season were striker David Sherman-Hay (18), James Collins (23), Austrian striker Andreas Weimann (16), Nathan Delfouneso (15) and Scot Barry Bannan (13).
As well as this, Villa also reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup, eventually being knocked out by eventual runners-up Chelsea, and were victorious in the prestigious Ergenzingen Tournament in May 2008. A draw against HNK Hajduk Split, and subsequent victories against Ergenzingen FC and São Paulo FC, placed them in a semi-final against FC Thun. A 1-0 victory earnt them a final against FSV Mainz, where a late strike by Harry Forrester won the Villains the trophy.
The 2008/09 season was less fruitful for Villa's youngsters, as they finished 3rd in Group B, and were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup at the first hurdle, losing in the Third Round to eventual champions Arsenal.
The team train at Bodymoor Heath in North Warwickshire and also play their home matches there on weekends. The system has been very productive in recent years, heavily down to the influence of Head Youth Team Coach Gordon Cowans and Youth Team Coach Tony McAndrew.
Staff
- Academy Coach:
Sean Verity - Academy Coach: Ben Petty
- Academy Coach: Tony McAndrew
- Academy Coach:
Brian O'Connell - Academy Director: Bryan Jones
- Assistant Academy Director: Steve Burns
- Academy Goalkeeper Coach:
Rafael González-Robles - Head of Education and Welfare: Paul Brackwell
Current Academy squad
| Player | DOB | Position | International Caps | Previous Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Year Scholars (players born between 1 September 1992 and 31 August 1993) | |||||
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Gary Gardner | 29 June 1992 | Midfielder | Capped at U-16, U-17, U-19, U-20 and U-21 level | Trainee |
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Jason Lampkin | 24 April 1992 | Midfielder | Capped at U-16 level | Manchester United |
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Benjamin Siegrist | 31 January 1992 | Goalkeeper | Capped at U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-19 level | FC Basel |
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András Stieber | 8 October 1991 | Midfielder | – | Goldball '94 FC |
| 1st Year Scholars (players born between 1 September 1993 and 31 August 1994)) | |||||
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Callum Barratt | 1 September 1993 | Goalkeeper | – | Trainee |
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Joshua Barton | 23 March 1994 | Midfielder | Capped at U-15 and U-16 Level | Cliftonville |
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Liam Bateman | – | Defender | – | Derby County |
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Richard Bryan | 5 November 1993 | Defender | Capped at U-16 and U-17 Level | Trainee |
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Graham Burke | 21 September 1993 | Forward | Capped at U-19 Level | Belvedere F.C. |
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Riccardo Calder | – | – | – | Trainee |
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Courtney Cameron | 3 January 1993 | Midfielder | – | Northampton Town |
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Samir Carruthers | 4 April 1993 | Midfielder | Capped at U-19 level | Arsenal |
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Mason Clarke | – | – | – | Trainee |
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Matthew Coton | 21 September 1993 | Goalkeeper | – | West Bromwich Albion F.C |
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Alfie Crooks | – | Forward | – | Trainee |
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Darious Darkin | – | Midfielder | – | Trainee |
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Juan José Serrano de la Cruz Vidal | – | Midfielder | Capped at U-16 Level | RCD Espanyol |
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Daniel Devine | 8 May 1993 | Defender | Capped at U-15 and U-16 Level | Crumlin United |
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Michael Drennan | – | Forward | Capped at U-15, U-16 and U-17 level | Evergreen FC |
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Umit Eminoglu | 14 September 1994 | Forward | – | Trainee |
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Jordan Graham | 5 March 1995 | Midfielder | Capped at U-16 and U-17 level | Trainee |
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Jack Grealish | – | Midfielder | Capped at U-15 and U-17 level | Trainee |
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Craig Hill | – | Goalkeeper | – | Chelsea |
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Ben Hodges | 21 August 1996 | Defender | – | Trainee |
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Jamie Hunt | – | Forward | – | Trainee |
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Sebastian Jenkins | – | Defender | – | Trainee |
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Daniel Johnson | 8 October 1992 | Midfielder | – | Crystal Palace |
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Bradley Lewis | – | Defender | – | Trainee |
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Malcolm Melvin | – | Midfielder | – | Trainee |
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Connor Mooney | 13 August 1994 | Forward | – | Trainee |
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Ebby Nelson-Addy | 13 September 1992 | Midfielder | – | Trainee |
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Joe Read | – | Midfielder | – | Trainee |
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Callum Robinson | – | Forward | Capped at U-17 level | Trainee |
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Oliver Stevenson | – | Defender | – | Trainee |
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Connor Taylor | 5 September 1992 | Forward | – | Coventry Sphinx |
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Charles Ward | 3 January 1993 | Defender | Capped at U-16 Level | Trainee |
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Javed Islam | 14 November 1993 | Midfielder | – | N/A |
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Bradley Watkins | 11 September 1994 | Goalkeeper | Capped at U-16 and U-17 Level | Trainee |
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Joshua Webb | – | Defender | Capped at U-16 and U-17 Level | Trainee |
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Derrick Williams | 17 January 1993 | Defender | Capped at U-19 Level | Tramore AFC |
Honours
FA Premier Academy League U17s
- Winners:
- 2003/04.
FA Premier Academy League U18s: Group B
- Winners:
- 2007/08.
- 2010/11.
FA Premier Academy League U18s: Play-Offs
- Winners:
- 2007/08.
Ergenzingen Tournament
- Winners:
- 2008.
- Runners-Up:
- 2007.
Notable Academy Graduates
The following players have all progressed through the youth ranks at Aston Villa and made at least one appearance for the first team in professional competition. Players in bold are still contracted to the club.
2010s
| Player | DOB | Position | First-Team Debut | First-Team Appearances | First-Team Goals | Current Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Samir Carruthers | 4 April 1993 | Midfielder | 7 April 2012 (vs Liverpool) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Gary Gardner | 29 June 1992 | Midfielder | 31 December 2011 (vs Chelsea) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Nathan Baker | 23 April 1991 | Defender | 25 January 2011 (vs Wigan Athletic) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Chris Herd | 4 April 1989 | Midfielder | 13 November 2010 (vs Manchester United) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Jonathan Hogg | 6 December 1988 | Midfielder | 13 November 2010 (vs Manchester United) | 7 | 0 | Watford |
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Andreas Weimann | 5 August 1991 | Forward | 14 August 2010 (vs West Ham United) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
2000s
| Player | DOB | Position | First-Team Debut | First-Team Appearances | First-Team Goals | Current Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Ciaran Clark | 26 September 1989 | Defender | 30 August 2009 (vs Fulham) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Shane Lowry | 12 June 1989 | Defender | 20 August 2009 (vs Rapid Vienna) | 3 | 0 | Millwall |
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Marc Albrighton | 18 November 1989 | Midfielder | 26 February 2009 (vs CSKA Moscow) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Barry Bannan | 1 December 1989 | Midfielder | 17 December 2008 (vs Hamburger SV) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Nathan Delfouneso | 2 February 1991 | Forward | 14 August 2008 (vs FH) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Isaiah Osbourne | 15 November 1987 | Midfielder | 21 October 2006 (vs Fulham) | 30 | 0 | Hibernian |
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Gary Cahill | 19 December 1985 | Defender | 1 April 2006 (vs Arsenal) | 31 | 1 | Chelsea |
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Gabriel Agbonlahor | 13 October 1986 | Forward | 18 March 2006 (vs Everton) | Ongoing | Ongoing | Aston Villa |
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Craig Gardner | 25 November 1986 | Midfielder | 26 December 2005 (vs Everton) | 80 | 6 | Sunderland |
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Steven Davis | 1 January 1985 | Midfielder | 18 September 2004 (vs Norwich City) | 102 | 9 | Rangers |
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Luke Moore | 13 February 1986 | Forward | 22 February 2004 (vs Birmingham City) | 98 | 14 | Swansea City |
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Peter Whittingham | 8 September 1984 | Midfielder | 23 April 2003 (vs Newcastle United) | 66 | 2 | Cardiff City |
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Liam Ridgewell | 21 July 1984 | Defender | 4 January 2003 (vs Blackburn Rovers) | 93 | 7 | West Bromwich Albion |
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Rob Edwards | 25 December 1982 | Defender | 28 December 2002 (vs Middlesbrough) | 9 | 0 | Barnsley |
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Stefan Moore | 28 September 1983 | Forward | 11 September 2002 (vs Charlton Athletic) | 30 | 2 | St Neots Town |
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Keith Fahey | 15 January 1983 | Midfielder | 31 July 2002 (vs Lille)[4] | 1 | 0 | Birmingham City |
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Thomas Hitzlsperger | 5 April 1982 | Midfielder | 13 January 2001 (vs Liverpool) | 114 | 12 | Wolfsburg |
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Stephen Cooke | 15 February 1982 | Midfielder | 2 August 2000 (vs Celta de Vigo) | 4 | 0 | Pelsall Villa |
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Jonathan Bewers | 10 September 1982 | Defender | 15 April 2000 (vs Tottenham Hotspur) | 1 | 0 | Unattached |
1990s
| Player | DOB | Position | First-Team Debut | First-Team Appearances | First-Team Goals | Current Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Gareth Barry | 23 February 1981 | Midfielder | 2 May 1998 (vs Sheffield Wednesday) | 441 | 52 | Manchester City |
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Adam Rachel | 10 December 1976 | Goalkeeper | 26 December 1998 (vs Blackburn Rovers) | 1 | 0 | Unattached |
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Darius Vassell | 13 June 1980 | Forward | 23 August 1998 (vs Middlesbrough) | 201 | 45 | Leicester City |
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Darren Byfield | 29 September 1979 | Forward | 28 December 1997 (vs Leeds United) | 10 | 0 | Unattached |
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Richard Walker | 8 November 1977 | Forward | 28 December 1997 (vs Leeds United) | 10 | 2 | Solihull Moors |
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Lee Hendrie | 18 May 1977 | Midfielder | 23 December 1995 (vs Queens Park Rangers) | 308 | 32 | Kidderminster Harriers |
References
- ^ http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/ReservesTeam/0,,10265,00.html
- ^ "Farewell to Reo-Coker and Carew as released list announced". Aston Villa F.C.. 27 May 2011. http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2368005,00.html. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ http://www.hksoccersevens.com/en/schedule-results/fixtures-main-tournament/main-tournament-stage-2
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7753287.stm
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