After a tough start to the 2022/23 campaign, the Youth Team have enjoyed a strong, competitive second-half of the season.
Take an in-depth look at the 2022/23 Youth Team season where you can see every result from throughout this campaign, including league games, cup games and friendlies.
We also highlight the four Youth Team players who have made their first-team debuts, and review the individual and team stats.
FRIENDLIES
Starting off with Dale’s friendly games before the season kicked-off. Dale enjoyed a positive pre-season, winning all four games, scoring 17 goals.
The squad visited Portugal in pre-season, where they faced local side Louletano Under-17s, beating them 8-0. Dale’s next three games were against English opposition as they beat Preston North End 3-0, Stoke City 2-1 and Sheffield Wednesday 4-3.
The Youth Team also had a mid-season friendly against Garuda Select, when again, the Youth Team won the game, this time 6-0.
Results & Scorers
Louletano U17s 0-8 Rochdale | (Anisio Jesus x2, Zak Greenwell, Darren Ehimamiegho x2, Bassett Mandey, Brooklyn Bailey, John Dunlop)
Preston North End 0-3 Rochdale | (Anisio Jesus, Paul Kyffin, Joe Cunningham)
Stoke City 1-2 Rochdale | (Liam Anderson, Oscar Kelly)
Sheffield Wednesday 3-4 Rochdale | (Paul Kyffin, George Nevett, John Dunlop, Liam Anderson)
Rochdale 6-0 Garuda Select | (Anisio Jesus, Nail Ayub, Joe Cunningham, Jordan Scanlon, Jadel Yaduat, Luke Mann)
YOUTH ALLIANCE CUP
Dale finished second in their group in the Youth Alliance Cup, after winning three out of four group games. They were pipped to the number one spot by Mansfield Town, who did also finish on nine points, but with a marginally better goal difference.
The opening group game saw Dale beat Stockport County 5-1 at home, followed by a 2-1 win at home to Mansfield. Dale’s first away group game saw them beaten 1-0 by Salford City and their final group game resulted in a 2-0 win against Burton Albion.
Dale were knocked out in the quarter-finals against Lincoln City. Despite coming from behind twice, and dominating large portions of the game, the Youth Team were beaten 6-5 on penalties and exited the Youth Alliance Cup.
Results & Scorers
Group games:
Rochdale 5-1 Stockport County | (Paddy Watts x2, Paul Kyffin, Joel Street & John Dunlop)
Rochdale 2-1 Mansfield Town | (Anisio Jesus, Paddy Watts)
Salford City 1-0 Rochdale
Burton Albion 0-2 Rochdale | (Oscar Kelly, Paul Kyffin)
Quarter-final:
Rochdale 2-2 Lincoln City (5-6 Pens) | (Kevin Dos Santos, Own Goal)
FA YOUTH CUP
In this year’s FA Youth Cup, Dale reached the third round of the competition after beating York City and Shrewsbury Town, before being narrowly beaten by Fulham.
First Round
Dale kicked off their FA Youth Cup campaign with a win on penalties against York City at the Crown Oil Arena. After 120 minutes played, the sides could not be separated.
Darren Ehimamiegho put Dale ahead in the 19th minute, after pouncing on a rebound that fell his way following Brooklyn Bailey’s saved shot.
Three minutes before half-time, York found an equaliser as a free-kick was sent into the box for the York players to attack. The ball was put into the back of the net, but Dale and Ellis Craven felt like there was a foul on the Dale ‘keeper as the ball was sent into the area, but the referee waved the claims away.
In the shootout, Craven saved the first York penalty and they missed their second before John Dunlop, Joe Cunningham and Zak Greenwell all converted for Dale, with Anisio Jesus slotting home the winning penalty, to send Dale through to the next stage.
The Dale players were applauded off the pitch by the spectators, who were made up of friends and family of the players as well as supporters.
Second Round
The Second Round of the FA Youth Cup saw Dale make the journey to Shropshire as they took on Shrewsbury Town.
Paul Kyffin put Dale ahead in the first-half, as he received the ball from the right before firing a left-footed shot home from the edge of the area.
The hosts equalised midway through the second period, cancelling out Kyffin’s opener.
However, ten minutes later, Oscar Kelly restored Dale’s lead. Anisio Jesus picked up the ball on a flick on and then fed Kelly in down Dale’s left. He then drove into the area before unleashing a left-footed effort across goal and off inside the far post.
Dale defended well and held on, to progress into the Third Round, where they were set to take on Premier League side Fulham.
Third Round
The Youth Team faced a tough task in the FA Youth Cup Third Round as they welcomed Fulham to the Crown Oil Arena.
The Premier League side started fast, scoring within the first three minutes as Fulham forward Loupalo-Bi stole the ball off Ellis Craven, before finishing into an empty net.
Joe Cunningham and Darren Ehimamiegho combined twice to turn the game on its head with less than ten minutes before the break.
The visitors levelled up the game on the stroke of half-time.
Anisio Jesus put Dale ahead with 15 minutes to go, after a well-contested second half where Dale looked the more likely side to score.
Dale however did face heartbreak as Fulham converted twice to put the game at 4-3 in their favour.
It wasn’t to be for the Youth Team. However, the players could be proud of how they approached the game as well as how they applied themselves throughout it.
Results & Scorers
Rochdale 1-1 York City (4-2 Pens) | (Darren Ehimamiegho)
Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Rochdale | (Paul Kyffin, Oscar Kelly)
Rochdale 3-4 Fulham | (Darren Ehimamiegho x2, Anisio Jesus)
LANCASHIRE FA PROFESSIONAL YOUTH CUP
Following a goalless 90 minutes, Dale were beaten by Bolton Wanderers 4-2 on penalties.
Result
Rochdale 0-0 Bolton Wanderers | (2-4 Pens)
EFL YOUTH ALLIANCE LEAGUE
After 26 games played in the EFL Youth Alliance League, Dale finished in ninth place, winning 10 games, drawing five and losing 11. As mentioned, Dale had a tough start to the season, losing eight of their opening nine games.
In the Youth Team’s 10th game, they seemed to turn a corner as they beat Bolton Wanderers 3-1. This win began an eleven-game unbeaten run where Dale won eight games and drew three.
Their remaining six games have been a real mix of results, with Dale winning just once, drawing twice and losing three times. Despite that, the Youth Team have many positives that they can take from this season.
Results & Scorers
1. Morecambe 3-2 Rochdale | (Liam Anderson, Oscar Kelly)
2. Rochdale 2-3 Accrington Stanley | (Bassett Mandey, Oscar Kelly)
3. Stockport County 0-4 Rochdale | (Paul Kyffin, Jadel Yaduat x2, Bassett Mandey)
4. Carlisle United 3-1 Rochdale | (Paddy Watts)
5. Blackpool 2-0 Rochdale
6. Rochdale 0-1 Shrewsbury Town
7. Fleetwood Town 5-2 Rochdale | (Anisio Jesus, Paul Kyffin)
8. Rochdale 1-2 Salford City | (John Dunlop)
9. Rochdale 1-4 Preston North End | (George Nevett)
10. Bolton Wanderers 1-3 Rochdale | (Darren Ehimamiegho x2, Oscar Kelly)
11. Rochdale 5-1 Walsall | (Darren Ehimamiegho, Oscar Kelly, Jordan Scanlon x2)
12. Rochdale 3-0 Carlisle United | (Darren Ehimamiegho x2, Anisio Jesus)
13. Preston North End 1-4 Rochdale | (Darren Ehimamiegoh x2, Jadel Yaduat x2)
14. Oldham Athletic 2-2 Rochdale | (Liam Anderson, Oscar Kelly)
15. Rochdale 2-2 Stockport County | (Luke Mann, Jordan Scanlon)
16. Rochdale 3-1 Oldham Athletic | (Kevin Dos Santos x2, Oscar Kelly)
17. Port Vale 1-2 Rochdale | (Darren Ehimamiegho, Oscar Kelly)
18. Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Rochdale | (Own Goal)
19. Rochdale 2-1 Fleetwood Town | (Paul Kyffin, Joe Cunningham)
20. Salford City 2-3 Rochdale | (Kevin Dos Santos x2, Oscar Kelly)
21. Rochdale 0-1 Morecambe
22. Rochdale 2-1 Port Vale | (Joe Cunningham, Paul Kyffin)
23. Accrington Stanley 1-0 Rochdale
24. Rochdale 1-1 Blackpool | (George Nevett)
25. Walsall 1-1 Rochdale | (Zak Greenwell)
26. Rochdale 0-4 Bolton Wanderers
FIRST-TEAM DEBUTS
First-year scholars Darren Ehimamiegho and George Nevett, as well as under-16s Oscar Kelly and Kevin Dos Santos both made their professional First Team debuts.
Kevin Dos Santos – Accrington Stanley (A) – Papa Johns Trophy Group Stage
The young midfielder made his Dale debut on Tuesday the 30th of August 2022 coming on for Jimmy McNulty in the 85th minute. The game ended 3-3 with Accrington winning 4-3 on penalties.
Dos Santos’ appearance was made when he was 15 years, five months and 15 days old. Making him Dale’s second youngest-ever debutant. Only Peter Thomas was younger than him at the time of making his first-team debut, at 15 years and 22 days old.
The Dale Academy player’s most notable Youth Team appearances came in Dale’s 3-1 win against local rivals Oldham Athletic as well their 3-2 victory when they travelled to Salford City.
Dos Santos scored twice, with Oscar Kelly scoring the third in both of the wins.
In the 2022/23 campaign, the midfielder picked up five goals and three assists in what’s been a successful year for the Under-16 player.
Oscar Kelly – Bristol Rovers (A) – FA Cup First Round
The now 16-year-old made his Dale debut against Bristol Rovers on Saturday the 5th of November 2022 as he came on to replace Devante Rodney in the 86th minute. Dale lost the game 1-0.
Kelly made his debut at 15 years, eight months and 29 days, making him Dale’s third youngest-ever debutant.
The young forward only had to wait a week to then make his first league appearance as well as his home debut. He came on in the 90th minute at the Crown Oil Arena, replacing Tyrese Sinclair in Dale’s 1-0 defeat against Mansfield Town in League Two on Saturday the 12th of November.
Prior to these debuts, Kelly did actually feature on the Dale bench when the first-team beat Burton Albion 2-0 in the first-round of the Carabao Cup.
The Dale academy player has attracted the attention of Northern Ireland this season too. He’s made debuts for the Under-16s and the Under-17s and has featured in a number of games since those first appearances. Kelly’s also scored twice for the Under-16s.
This campaign, Kelly has scored ten and assisted four in what’s been a really positive year for the young Dale forward.
Darren Ehimamiegho – Crawley Town (A) – League Two
The Youth Team’s top scorer made his Dale debut against Crawley on Saturday the 25th of March 2023, replacing Ethan Brierley in the 87th minute.
The 17-year-old is currently a first-year scholar and has impressed the Dale management team with his size, speed and power.
Ehimamiegho also featured on Dale’s bench in their 1-1 draw away at Mansfield Town.
One of the forward’s best appearances came in the FA Youth Cup. Dale were narrowly, and arguably undeservingly beaten 4-3 by Premier League side Fulham, as he scored twice.
Ehimamiegho can look back on the last year fondly as he finished the season as the Youth Teams top scorer with 12 goals, he also got five assists.
George Nevett – Sutton United (H) – League Two
Nevett, despite being a first-year scholar is the captain of the Youth Team. His leadership qualities have shown throughout the season too, his mature attitude as well as him being a left-footed, left-sided centre back has attracted interest from the Dale management team.
McNulty handed Nevett his Dale debut on Saturday the 29th of April 2023, bringing him on for Owen Dodgson in the 88th minute in Dale’s 4-1 win against Sutton United.
His first-team appearance rounded off a good week for the 17-year-old. On the Tuesday prior to the game against Sutton United, Nevett scored a last-minute, injury-time equaliser for the Youth Team as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with EFL Youth Alliance League leaders Blackpool.
Nevett, alongside a couple of his teammates from the Youth Team, including Dos Santos, Kelly and Ehimamiegho have been involved in a lot of the First Team training sessions, especially as of late with Dale’s injury list growing, this has given the Dale youngsters valuable First Team experience.
The Youth Team captain has scored twice this season and picked up three assists from centre-back.
TOP SCORERS
INTERVIEW WITH LEE THORPE
Lee Thorpe initially rejoined the club in September taking up the role of Youth Development Phase Lead Coach. Only a matter of a couple of months later and he was made Professional Development Phase Lead Coach, replacing Chris Brown who had been with the club in various roles for 17 years.
The former Dale forward linked up with Academy Manager Tony Ellis, who he knew previously from his playing career at Blackpool from 1994-1997.
Thorpey’s side enjoyed a twelve-game unbeaten run, starting from when he took charge of the Under-18s.
He spoke about how he implemented his ways of improving squad morale as soon as he took the role, whilst also paying tribute to the work Browny had done before him, he said: “Initially we just tried to build on the good work that had already gone into the lads. I knew Browny well. Obviously, I know Tony well.
“I think I’m quite clued up on what Rochdale’s academies have always been like.
“Initially what we did was try and build on the good things that other people brought to the table, and then we implemented our own little tweeks.
“As I got started, initially and really early on I understood that I had to start building relationships with the players from day one.
“The players were a little bit down, they were a team that had suffered quite a bit just before I took over.
“So it was important that they got to know me, got to trust me, got to know I was there for them. I say it to the players all the time, I’ll always be there for them.
“I think that was key really (for the Youth Team’s unbeaten run). I built good relationships early, we kicked on and did well.”
Thorpe spoke about how pleasing it was to see some of his players feature in the first-team, especially because it was the younger members of the group.
“It’s important to say that it was some of the younger players from within the group. Oscar (Kelly) and Kevin (Dos Santos), especially since I took over, have been consistent. They’ve consistently played games of football in sometimes two, or three age groups above them, because it’s an Under-19s league. They’ve done brilliantly for me,” said Thorpe.
“George (Nevett) and Darren (Ehimamiegho) have gone up on merit. Darren, especially at the start, was on a good goal-scoring run. I converted him from a left-winger into a striker because I felt like he had the assets to be able to do that, especially with the way that I wanted to play.
“With three strikers, Darren was the obvious one to convert to the central striker and he did brilliantly, scored a lot of goals, contributed really well.
“George our captain, he’s been consistent all season. In the first-team on merit, in my opinion. A real leader, he’s improving all the time.
“I think George has got a real good chance of breaking in, hopefully, in the not-too-distant future.”
Watch the full interview with Lee Thorpe via our official YouTube channel below.