Player Development

This was originally written for a previous volountary role related to youth football in scotland.

The young guns making a difference.

This season Swansea have been spending time in the lower regions of the premier league, there is no denying that but there are plenty of positives to take from the welsh side, non more so than the growing Scottish contingency waiting patiently for opportunities to impress. Five players in total have ammased in the ranks from Scotland. Jay Fulton, Stephen Kingsley, Oliver McBurnie, Botti Bia-bi and Ryan Blair have all impressed to the point where they have secured deals to be part of the Swansea setup, collected some first team appearances in the process.

Jay Fulton is a third generation footballer, starting life at Falkirk making his first team debut at the age of 17 his regular appearances earning his a 2 and a half year deal for the welsh outfit, collecting nearly 20 appearances he opened his account in a 4-1 victory against Peterborough last august, eventually his consistent performances securing his future until 2018.

Stephen Kingsleys’ rise has been equally impressive, the 22 year old defender noticed at Falkirk stadium he impressed enough to secure a place at the liberty stadium eventually making his first team debut last January in a premier league match against Arsenal. His performances have also earned him a Scotland cap coming on in an inevitable 3-0 defeat against france.

Next in question is towering striker Oliver McBurnie, his main supporter being Phil Parkinson offering praise and support at every opportunity during his time at Bradford City, his development was rewarded with a deal July 2015, the young goalscorer has excelled In his performances earning praise from the Scotland U19s manager Ricky Sbragia.

The final two subjects are Botti Bia-bi and Ryan Blair, both of which moved from the Falkirk side to link up with the u21s of swansea, with Botti Bia-bi being a first team regular for the bairns the six figure fee involved in his move to Swansea is a sign of how much promise the London born striker has shown.
Four of the five players have come from the ranks of Falkirk, which is evidence that the development of Scottish youth players is now bearing fruit. Overall these five footballers represent the future of Scottish football, with the majority of them with some premier league performances under their belt these fine examples of professionals offer inspiration to any young player who dares to dream.