Club 25/05/2017
New Signings for U20 Development Squad
We’re delighted to announce three new signings to the U20 Development Squad.
Fife Elite Football Academy (FEFA) graduates Euan Valentine (16), Kieran Dall (17) and Jack Smith (17) put pen to paper on two year contracts last night as they joined the club as Modern Apprentices.
All three youngsters were part of the league winning side this season and have impressed U20s manager Craig Easton with their performances for both his side and FEFA under 17s this season.
Craig said: “I’m really excited to officially welcome the lads to the club. They’ve been a big part of the squad all season, fitted in really well with the other apprentices and they know how we do things. This is when the work really starts, but they’ve all shown they have potential to progress further as long as they keep applying themselves and showing the same attitude that helped get them to this stage. It’s not going to be easy, but they have a bit of time, and we’ll do everything we can to help them reach their potential”.
“Euan is only 16, but has played 25 games in the 20s this season which is a superb achievement. He’s even been involved in bounce games with the first team and it’s been great to see him handle everything we’ve thrown at him at such a young age. He’s a tenacious full-back who takes a pride in defending, but he loves to get forward and join in the attack and delivers dangerous balls from the left hand side. His attitude and determination is superb and he’s exactly the type of character we’re looking for at Raith Rovers.”
“Kieran joined Fife Elite this season and has played most of his football at Glenrothes Strollers under the watchful eye of Steven Adair. He’s a forward with good ability and excellent work rate who can play anywhere across the line. Kieran has taken on board what myself and Scott Robertson have been working on with him and is always eager to learn. We gave him more opportunities in some tough games in the last few months and he really earned the chance to come in full-time next season with some really positive performances.”
“Jack showed early on that he could not only cope with playing in the 20s, but excelled in the games he was involved in. He’s a clever striker that can score goals and also drop deeper to link the play. Jack and Kieran have shown they work well together in FEFA matches this season and it will be exciting to get them playing together more often with us. He was one of the FEFA players who went over to Benfica for a month in April and I’m sure he’ll use the experiences from his time in Portugal to help him to progress with us.”
The boys signed at Stark’s Park with the club director in charge of Youth Development, Tom Phillips and family members in attendance. FEFA under 17s manager, Robert O’Neil, and Glenrothes Strollers coach, Steven Adair were also there to proudly see the players they have nurtured over the years begin their journey into the world of professional football.