Town defender, Mattie Pollock has been named amongst 11 young players who been recognised by League Football Education (LFE).

‘The 11’ acknowledges the football and academic progress of Under-18 players on apprenticeships at current or former English Football League (EFL) clubs – and is also designed to assess other factors, including involvement in community or charity-based initiatives. 

This accolade celebrates the holistic development of young players, a barometer which is also applied to the LFE Apprentice of the Year Awards presented at The EFL Awards dinner in April. England Under-20 World Cup winners Ademola Lookman (formerly Charlton Athletic), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (formerly Sheffield United) and Lewis Cook (formerly Leeds United) have all previously been named in ‘The 11’.

Everton forward Lookman and AFC Bournemouth midfielder Cook also went on to become Apprentice of the Year winners, as did Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) and Watford’s Ben Wilmot (formerly Stevenage), who were both featured prior to picking up the 2018 awards in the Sky Bet Championship and Sky Bet League Two, respectively.

Others to previously appear in this select group include Leeds United’s Jamie Shackleton, Swansea City striker Oli McBurnie (formerly Bradford City) and England Under-17 World Cup winners Steven Sessegnon (Fulham) and Billy Crellin (Fleetwood Town).

The 11 are: 

Dwight Pascal (Barnet)
Luca Connell (Bolton Wanderers)
Ethan Vale (Burton Albion)
Ben Worman (Cambridge United)
Mattie Pollock (Grimsby Town)
Jack Gurney (Peterborough United)
Jack Baxter (Preston North End)
Angelo Capello (Sheffield United)
Charlie Jolley (Wigan Athletic)

You can read more about them here.