22 Sep 2026 20:56:09
Leeds United U21s 4, Barnsley 3. Hat trick for 18 yr old Callum Mills.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️?.

1.) 22 Sep 2026
22 Sep 2026 23:31:36
It was 4 - 0 after 80 mins! They played really well though for 60 mins.

2.) 22 Sep 2026
22 Sep 2026 23:44:59
Three goals conceded to wee Barnsley
Oops.

3.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 01:05:50
We are talking teenagers against grizzled older pros, so any win is good, even only agin wee Barnsley.
At the same time, Accrington Stanley beat Sunderland U21s, Crewe Alexandra beat Aston Villa U21s, Bradford beat Newcastle U21s, Leicester beat Fulham U21s, Luton beat Ipswich U21s and Plymouth Argyle beat Crystal Palace U21s. Also Liverpool U21s only beat Rochdale, and Notts Forest U21s beat Burton Albion after penalty shoot outs.

Leeds United were the only Prem U21s to win in regular time, so don't be too hard on them.

4.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 07:51:44
Read that Callum Mills is the youngest hat trick scorer in the cup!

5.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 08:55:39
I watched it, and as I said earlier, it was an impressive performance. I was pleased for them that they hung on at the end as an equaliser would have been totally undeserved.

6.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 10:36:15
So 2 things

1) Perhaps the authorities wanna have a look at clubs fielding a team of grizzled old pros in a suppposed U21 comp.

Imo ahould be one or two max older players above 21

And

2) Hopefully at least one or two of these young Leeds players actually make it at Leeds

ie eventual first teamers.

7.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 11:03:09
The EFL Trophy is not a U21 competition. It's a knock-out tournament for clubs in EFL Leagues One and Two, as well as the "academy teams" of 16 invited Premier League clubs.
The rules state that for the invited teams, there must be a Minimum of six players in the starting line-up who are aged under 21 on 30 June 2026, and can be a Maximum of two players on the team sheet who are aged over 21 and have also made forty or more senior appearances.

8.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 11:14:46
Ok JR thanks for info; makes sense
I no longer follow the U21 team.

9.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 12:39:26
I don't think a manager has the time to bring any youth through the ranks and into the first team, unless they are exceptional.
Generally most youth players don't make it to the first team because perhaps they are simply not good enough.

Ultimately young players need to be thrown into the deep end from time to time so to develop but that needs patience and perseverance, and patience doesn't exist in football anymore.
It's all about hitting the ground running and being an instant success or you're out.

A managers existence hangs by a thread on a weekly basis in modern day football, he can't afford young players not performing to the level the fans demand.
The youth system which we were very proud of at Leeds United is possibly a derelict place now and that maybe very similar at many other clubs these days.

I honestly can't remember the last academy player made it to the first team as a regular.

10.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 13:50:12
OP - Harry Gray, Kalvin Phillips, Archie Gray, Lewis Cook, James Milner and Danny Rose to name a few. Latterly Joe Gelhardt and Pascal Struijk came in and played a few games for the U21s before advancing to the first team squad.

11.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 14:04:29
Not sure that made any sense opti. Managers are supposed to do best by the club and team. Not self interest. But yeah. Not so many coming through these days but nothing wrong with blooding in cups. I don't care about cups.

12.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 14:05:56
Yes indeed JR.theres been some.
Also doing well Charlie Cresswell, Leif Davis and Max Dean.

13.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 19:35:37
With due respect JR, Harry Gray is not a regular first team player, Archie is not with us in the Premiership. Gelhardt and Struijk didn't come through the academy as such, Gelhardt played for Wigan before arriving at Elland rd.


Milner, Rose etc were nearly 30 years ago.
We can buy youngsters from European clubs but there's no homegrown young lads coming through the system since the likes of Milner, Smith and David Batty. etc.

14.) 23 Sep 2026
23 Sep 2026 20:09:20
I watched the first 60 minutes of the game and I was blown away at the quality of our play, and all I could think was, at what point is all this quality coached out of them. It's probably a bit far-fetched, but no one on last night first hour wouldn't do a job [a better job] in the first team.

Vincent, on the right week, beat his [grizzly old] man and sent some stunning crosses in. I'm a bit like Baz in that I seldom take the time with the U21's, but given it was on, there was little else competing with it, and it is Leeds after all, I watched. I'll definitely watch some more.

15.) 24 Sep 2026
24 Sep 2026 00:39:51
OP, your exact words were "I honestly can't remember the last academy player made it to the first team as a regular". Your memory must be a little hazy because both Archie Gray and Kalvin Phillips did just that, so did a number of others over many years. OK, none are playing for us now, but many more have done so before moving on to play for other clubs, Lewis Cook at Bournemouth, Leif Davis at Ipswich, Lewie Coyle at Hull, Charlie Cresswell at Rennes. True, Joe Gelhardt and Pascal Struijk did not start in our academy, but both came from other clubs and spent a whole year playing for the academy team before moving up to the first team squad.

Equally, the current Leeds squad has a number of players who came through the academies at other clubs, James Trafford at Man City. DCL at Sheffield Utd, Joe Rodon at Swansea etc etc. That's the way the football world works nowadays. Harry Gray and Callum Mills may end up playing for Leeds Utd, or may move on to other clubs, but it is still worthwhile having an academy and cultivating such talent.

16.) 24 Sep 2026
24 Sep 2026 06:35:49
I don't dismiss the fact that there are few players that still do come through the youth academies at football clubs including our very own. My point was more about how it has vastly diminished and the reason or reasons why.?
It is still only a small handful of academy players over recent years compared to what it used to be.
My guess as I have mentioned already
is that it is more likely to rising financial stakes which is shifting the focus toward immediate results and more global recruitment and perhaps managers not wanting to risk their precious time and positions in guiding potential youth players to the first. team.
There is an undeniable decrease in the top six clubs today using academy players compared to previous eras.

My memory is fine JR, you just miss my point is all.