‘Good people, good players’ – Sheffield Wednesday youth output validates Owls academy strides

Haslam has been in place as Academy Head at Middlewood Road since 2017, and during that time has seen many players pass through the doors at S6 in search of the next generation of Wednesday talent.

Progress is being made now. This season alone academy graduates such as Bailey Cadamarteri, Pierce Charles, Sean Fusire, Rio Shipston, Joey Phuthi, Gui Siqueira and Sam Reed have all featured in competitive fixtures, and last season Darren Moore used 13 different players from the academy at various points of the season.

Cadamarteri is obviously the standout this season given how he’s burst onto the scene under Danny Röhl, but there are high hopes for a number of those working their way towards being regular first teamers, and Haslam says that it’s pleasing to see.

Speaking to The Star, the Owls’ head of youth said, “I’ve been in post six and a half years, during which time we obviously had the Covid-19 spell. That was a bit disruptive, but I think we’ve made really good strides in seven years. We’ve always tried to work in a multi-disciplinary way by having not just coaching, but classroom sessions, sports scientists, athletic development programmes etc. It’s been a real team effort to get to where we are now, and we feel like we’ve got a good group of staff here that help us to develop good people and good players…

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“But we are a football development programme, ultimately… So the players stepping up does validate the work you do, and a lot of it goes unseen and unheard a little bit. So it’s rewarding for staff, players, parents - everyone who invests a lot of time and effort, and commitment, into developing these young lads.”

Wednesday’s U18s and U21s are currently fourth and third respectively in their Professional Development League tables at present, and both are still harbouring hopes of securing a spot in the top two that would take them into the play-offs.