Glentoran are one of the most successful teams in Northern Irish football, having won the top-flight title (in all its various forms) on 23 occasions in total.
Whilst the 2023/24 season hasn’t exactly gone to plan, the Glens find themselves in fourth place, over 20 points behind third-place Cliftonville. Consequently, Warren Feeney departed his role as manager earlier this month.
There are some vastly experienced players in the first-team squad, such as former Celtic forward Niall McGinn, ex-Rangers man Aidan Wilson and Shay McCartan, who spent time on the books of Premier League strugglers Burnley during his early career.
However, a very healthy number of young players are also breaking through from The Glens academy; 19-year-old left-back Jonathan Russell is a prime example.
The Glentoran Academy was established in June 2008 and is considered to be the fastest-growing football academy in the country. Many of its players have gained recognition at youth international levels. In 2015/16, 44 Glentoran players represented Northern Ireland at different age groups, twice as many as any other club.
Using EYEBALL, this tactical analysis piece will take the form of a scout report, highlighting some of the most promising stars within the academy system. We will showcase their individual skills and discuss what each player brings to the team’s tactics.
This particular analysis piece will specifically focus on players currently in the U16 team, who we believe will go on to have a significant impact for the club.
Cameron Reid
The first player we are going to highlight in this scout report is 14-year-old midfielder Cameron Reid. The youngster has shown his versatility by playing as a central midfielder or out wide on the left as an out-and-out winger, utilising his favoured left foot.
To begin this analysis, let’s look at how Reid influences the play when stationed out wide on the left. Glentoran U16s often look to overload one side of the pitch to drag the opposition out of their defensive shape. We can see here that the initial build-up play has taken place down the right flank.
Glentoran then looks to quickly work the ball over to the left, where we can see Cameron Reid hovering on the edge of the area (yellow circle). The 14-year-old is entirely unmarked and is in an optimal position to hit a shot with his slightly weaker right foot.
