Middlesbrough F.C. Reserves and Academy

Middlesbrough F.C. Under-21s

Full name	Middlesbrough Football Club Under-21s
Nickname(s)	The Boro
Short name	MFC, Boro
Founded	1876;149 years ago (1876)
Ground	Rockliffe Park, Hurworth
Owner	Steve Gibson
Chairman	Steve Gibson
Manager	Craig Liddle
League	Premier League 2, Division 2
2023–24	11th
Website	http://www.mfc.co.uk
Home colours Away colours

Middlesbrough F.C. Reserves and Academy are the under-21 and under-18 teams of Middlesbrough F.C.

Most home fixtures are played at Rockliffe Park, near Hurworth, though some are played at Victoria Park, Hartlepool. ^[1]

Under 21s

Middlesbrough Reserves (also referred to as the Under-21 Development Squad) play in Division 2 of the Premier League 2, being part of the founding members of the Premier League 2 since 2012. They have also competed in the EFL Trophy during the 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons alongside 15 other academies that held Category 1 status. ^[2]

Current squad

As of 23 January 2025 ^[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 38 GK   SCO Shea Connor — GK   ENG Nathan Fisher — DF   ENG Cain Sykes — DF   GER George Gitau 41 DF   ENG Harley Hunt — DF   ENG Afonso Lindo — DF   ENG Alfie Myers-Smith — DF   ENG Oliver Samuels — DF   ENG Judah Tawiah 40 MF   ENG Fin Cartwright — MF   ENG Max Howells

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   ENG Brayden Johnson 49 MF   ENG Law McCabe 44 MF   ENG Nathan Simpson — MF   ENG Jack Stott — MF   ENG Luke Woolston 43 FW   ENG Charlie Lennon 46 FW   ENG Ajay Matthews — FW   ENG Daniel Nkrumah — FW   ENG Rio Patterson-Powell — FW   ENG Hazeem Bakre

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   ENG Terrell Agyemang(on loan at Airdrieonians until 31 May 2025) [4] — DF   ENG Jack Hannah(on loan at Queen of the South until 31 May 2025) [5] — GK   ENG Zach Hemming (on loan at St Mirren until 31 May 2025) [6] — MF   ENG Pharrell Willis (on loan at Queen of the South until 31 May 2025) [7]

Under 18s

Middlesbrough F.C. Under-18s

Full name	Middlesbrough Football Club Under-18s
Nickname(s)	The Boro
Short name	MFC, Boro
Founded	1876;149 years ago (1876)
Ground	Rockliffe Park, Hurworth
Owner	Steve Gibson
Chairman	Steve Gibson
Manager	Craig Liddle
League	U18 Premier League North
2020–21	4th
Website	http://www.mfc.co.uk
Home colours Away colours

The Middlesbrough Academy is the name for Middlesbrough's youth system. They field teams in the U21 Premier League and U18 Premier League.

The longest serving academy manager was Dave Parnaby, who was appointed in 1998 and retired in 2017. During this time, the academy produced many notable players such as former first team captains Ben Gibson and Jonathan Woodgate; Australia internationals Brad Jones, Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams; Scotland internationals James Morrison, Graeme Murty and Robbie Stockdale; England internationals Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson; as well as Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt. ^[8]

He also led the Academy side to the 2003 FA Youth Cup final against Manchester United where they finished runners up, ^[9] before getting to the final again the next season and emerging victorious over Aston Villa in 2004. ^[10]

Current squad

As of 8 December 2024 ^[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   ENG Felix Elliott — GK   WAL Oliver Lloyd — DF   ENG Prince Acheampong — DF   ENG Oliver Martin — DF   ENG Will McPartland — DF   ENG Tyler Smith — DF   ENG Logan Williams 42 DF   ENG James Wilson — MF   ENG Addis Dore — MF   ENG Isaac Greenup — MF   POR Eric Hamelberg — MF   ENG Lucas Harrison

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   ENG Daniel James — MF   ENG Noah Muwana — MF   ENG William Okine 47 MF   ENG Bailey Palmer — MF   ENG Leon Parker — MF   ENG Joe Roberts — MF   ENG Ethan Scott — MF   ENG McCartney Woodhouse — FW   ENG Leandro Bevin — FW   ENG Frankie Coulson — FW   ENG Collins Nino — FW   ENG Finley O'Gorman

Staff

The Middlesbrough football club academy staff are as follows:

Senior Staff

Position	Staff
Academy Manager	Craig Liddle
Head Goalkeeping Coach	Chris Pennock
Head Sports Scientist	Alistair Hamilton
Head of Recruitment	Martin Carter
Head of Education and Welfare	Barry Dawson

Medical

Role	Name
Head Of Medical	David Minihane
Physiotherapist	Liam Chapman
Physiotherapist	Jason McNamee

Fitness and Performance

Name	Role
Head of Fitness and Sports Science	Mike Lawson
Sport Scientist	Robbie Dawson
Strength and Conditioning Coach	Hermes Pellotta
Performance Analyst	Alex Telford

Scouting

Name	Role
Head of Recruitment	Martin Carter

Coaching staff

Because of Middlesbrough Football Clubs Academies EPP level they divide their coaching into three phases. Professional development, youth development and foundation phases of coaching.

Name	Role
Professional Development Lead Coach (U23)	Lee Cattermole	Professional Development Assistant Coach (U23)	Paul Crager]]
Professional Development Coach (U18)	Mark Tinkler	Professional Development Assistant Coach (U18)	James Marwood
Professional Development Goalkeeping Coach	Chris Pennock
Youth Development Lead Coach	Aaron Croft
Youth Development Coach	Rob Jones
Youth Development Assistant Coach	Micky Cummings
Foundation Development Lead Coach	Dean Grayson

Notable products

Many players have come through Middlesbrough's academy who have either gone on to play for the first team or have gone on to have successful careers elsewhere. The following are players who have made professional appearances, either for Middlesbrough or another football club, during their careers.

They are organised in order of the date they signed their first professional contract with Middlesbrough (from 1997 onwards). Appearances for those who played for Middlesbrough are counted as all professional appearances for the club in all competitions. Players who are still contracted to the club (including players loaned out elsewhere) are highlighted in bold.

Players who have played for Middlesbrough

As of 16 October 2020

Year	Player	Position	Apps
1997	Sean Kilgannon	Central Midfielder	1
	Chris Bennion	Goalkeeper	1
	Mark Hudson	Central Midfielder	6
1998	Stuart Parnaby	Right back	127
	Brad Jones	Goalkeeper	74
	Luke Wilkshire	Right back	25
	Carlos Marinelli	Attacking midfielder	46
	Brian Close	Right back	1
1999	Craig Dove	Left midfielder	2
2000	Stewart Downing		404
	David Murphy	Left back	16
	Jamie Cade	Striker	1
2001	Andrew Davies	Centre back	71
	Ross Turnbull	Goalkeeper	29
2002	Andrew Taylor	Left back	145
	Tony McMahon	Right back	137
	Danny Graham	Striker	39
	James Morrison	Attacking midfielder	98
2003	Jason Kennedy	Central Midfielder	7
	Matthew Bates	Centre back	126
	Tom Craddock	Striker	5
	David Wheater	Centre back	157
	Adam Johnson	Right midfielder	120
2004	Graeme Owens		1
	Jonathan Grounds	Left back	37
	Lee Cattermole	Defensive midfielder	91
	Seb Hines	Centre back	87
	Rhys Williams	Defensive midfielder	141
	Ben Hutchinson	Striker	9
2005	Josh Walker	Central Midfielder	13
	John Johnson	Centre back	1
2006	Jonathan Franks	Right winger	30
	Joe Bennett	Left back	92
	Jason Steele	Goalkeeper	142
2007	Richard Smallwood	Defensive midfielder	72
2008	Cameron Park	Left midfielder	5
2009	Luke Williams	Striker	42
	Connor Ripley	Goalkeeper	3
	Ben Gibson	Centre back	203
	Adam Reach	Attacking midfielder	78
2011	Jordan Jones	Left midfielder	1
2012	Bryn Morris	Defensive midfielder	3
	Bradley Fewster	Striker	2
2013	Dael Fry	Centre back	107
2014	Nathan McGinley		1
	Harry Chapman	Left midfielder	4
2015	Ben Liddle	Central Midfielder	2
	Hayden Coulson	Left back	32
2016	Aynsley Pears	Goalkeeper	25
	Marcus Tavernier	Left midfielder	81
	Stephen Walker	Striker	10
2017	Tyrone O'Neill		1
	Billal Brahimi	Left winger	1
2018	Nathan Wood	Centre back	7

Players who have played for other football clubs

As of 30 January 2020

Year	Player	Position
1998	Christian Hanson	Centre back
	Arthuro	Striker
	Aron Wilford
	Ger Robinson
1999	Sam Russell	Goalkeeper
	Phil Gulliver	Centre back
	Keith Gilroy	Central Midfielder
	Stephen Brackstone
2000	Gary Smith
	Andrew Kelly	Centre back
	Sergio van Kanten	Central Midfielder
2001	Chris Brunt
2002	Gary Liddle	Centre back
	Anthony Peacock	Central Midfielder
	Michaël Van Geele
2003	David Knight	Goalkeeper
	Dale Roberts
	Nathan Mulligan	Central Midfielder
2004	Kevin Burgess	Centre back
	Hérold Goulon	Defensive midfielder
2005	Stephen Thompson	Striker
	Nathan Fisher
	Daryl Robson	Central Midfielder
2006	Nathan Porritt
	Shaun Saiko	Attacking midfielder
2007	Jordan Robinson	Centre back
	Gary Martin	Striker
	Ashley Corker	Left back
2008	Patrick Otte	Left midfielder
	James Gray	Striker
2009	Charlie Wyke
	Adam Smith	Goalkeeper
	Ryan Brobbel	Left midfielder
	Matthew Dolan	Central Midfielder
2010	Wilson Kneeshaw	Striker
	Jarrett Rivers	Right midfielder
	Curtis Edwards
	Adam Jackson	Centre back
2011	Zak Boagey	Striker
	Anthony Hernandez
2012	Mark Kitching	Centre back
	Joe Fryer	Goalkeeper
	David Atkinson	Centre back
2013	Jonny Burn
	Callum Cooke	Attacking midfielder
2014	Luke Coddington	Goalkeeper
	Callum Johnson	Right back
	Junior Mondal	Left midfielder
2016	Alex Pattison	Central Midfielder
	Luke Armstrong	Striker

Players who have played at international level

Many players who have come through the youth ranks at Middlesbrough have appeared for their national team at both senior and youth levels. The following is a list of those players organised by national team and alphabetical order respectively.

As of 21 October 2019

Team	Player(s)
2012 GB Olympic Team	Jason Steele
England U-16s	Jamie Cade, Lee Cattermole, Callum Cooke, Hayden Coulson, Stewart Downing, Bradley Fewster, Jonathan Franks, Seb Hines, Adam Jackson, David Knight, Tony McMahon, Bryn Morris, David Murphy, Stuart Parnaby, Jason Steele, Andrew Taylor, Ross Turnbull, David Wheater, Nathan Wood
England U-17s	Lee Cattermole, Callum Cooke, Hayden Coulson, Matthew Elsdon, Bradley Fewster, Jonathan Franks, Dael Fry, Ben Gibson, Seb Hines, Adam Jackson, David Knight, Tony McMahon, Bryn Morris, James Morrison, Nathan Porritt, Jason Steele, Andrew Taylor, Ross Turnbull, Stephen Walker, David Wheater, Luke Williams, Nathan Wood
England U-18s	Matthew Bates, Stephen Brackstone, Lee Cattermole, Harry Chapman, Callum Cooke, Hayden Coulson, Stewart Downing, Bradley Fewster, Jonathan Franks, Dael Fry, Ben Gibson, Adam Jackson, David Knight, Bryn Morris, James Morrison, Stuart Parnaby, Richard Smallwood, Andrew Taylor, Ross Turnbull, Stephen Walker, David Wheater
England U-19s	Matthew Bates, Joe Bennett, Lee Cattermole, Stewart Downing, Bradley Fewster, Jonathan Franks, Dael Fry, Seb Hines, Adam Jackson, Adam Johnson, David Knight, Tony McMahon, Bryn Morris, James Morrison, Adam Reach, Connor Ripley, Jason Steele, Marcus Tavernier, Andrew Taylor, Ross Turnbull, Stephen Walker, David Wheater, Luke Williams
England U-20s	Joe Bennett, Harry Chapman, Jonathan Franks, Dael Fry, Ben Gibson, Danny Graham, Bryn Morris, James Morrison, Stuart Parnaby, Adam Reach, Connor Ripley, Marcus Tavernier, Andrew Taylor, Josh Walker, Luke Williams
England U-21s	Joe Bennett, Lee Cattermole, Andrew Davies, Stewart Downing, Dael Fry, Ben Gibson, Adam Johnson, Stuart Parnaby, Jason Steele, Andrew Taylor, David Wheater
England C Team	Dale Roberts
England B Team	Stewart Downing
Senior Team	Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson
Wales U-21s	Rhys Williams
Scotland U-16s	Lucas Reed, William Wandji
Scotland U-19s	Cameron Park
Scotland U-21s	Cameron Park
Scotland Senior Team	James Morrison, Graeme Murty, Robbie Stockdale
Northern Ireland U-16s	James Gray
Northern Ireland U-17s	Ryan Brobbel, James Gray
Northern Ireland U-18s	Ryan Brobbel
Northern Ireland U-19s	Ryan Brobbel, Chris Brunt, James Gray, Jordan Jones
Northern Ireland U-21s	Ryan Brobbel, Chris Brunt, Brian Close, James Gray
Northern Ireland U-23s	Chris Brunt, Brian Close
Northern Ireland Senior Team	Chris Brunt, Jordan Jones
Gibraltar U-19s	Anthony Hernandez
Gibraltar	Anthony Hernandez
Ireland U-16s	Keith Gilroy
Ireland U-17s	Ger Robinson
Ireland U-21s	Keith Gilroy
Australia U-20s	Brad Jones, Luke Wilkshire
Australia U-23s	Brad Jones, Luke Wilkshire
Australia Senior Team	Brad Jones, Luke Wilkshire, Rhys Williams
Canada U-20s	Shaun Saiko
Canada U-23s	Shaun Saiko
France U-19s	Billal Brahimi
France U-21s	Hérold Goulon
Argentina U-17s	Carlos Marinelli
Argentina U-20s	Carlos Marinelli

Honours

• FA Youth Cup

Winners (1): 2003–04

Runners-up (2): 1989–90, 2002–03

• Professional U18 Development League

Winners (1): 2014–15

• North Riding Senior Cup

Winners (11): 1996–97, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18

Runners-up (1): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2013–14

• The Central League

Winners (1): 2011–12

Runners-up (2): 1995–96, 2010–11

• Central League Cup

Winners (1): 2014–15

References

1. "Rockliffe Park". Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
2. "Our Academy". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
3. "U-21s". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
4. "Terrell Agyemang Loaned To Airdrieonians". Middlesbrough FC. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
5. "Jack Hannah In Queen Of The South Loan Move". Middlesbrough FC. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
6. "Zach Hemming Joins Leyton Orient On Loan". St Mirren FC. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
7. "Pharrell Willis Joins Queen Of The South On Loan". Middlesbrough FC. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
8. "Dave Parnaby The Reluctant Legend". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
9. Johnston, Neil (25 April 2003). "Manchester United 1–1 Middlesbrough". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 August 2018.
10. "Boro Celebrate FA Youth Cup Victory". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
11. "U-18s". Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 22 May 2018.