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Academy Welcomes New Intake
Written by Newcastle Utd
The club has announced its new intake of Academy scholars, while six young players have been released
By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter
The club has announced its new intake of Academy scholars, with 11 youngsters joining the club on a full-time basis ahead of next season.
Rolando Aarons, Macauley Booth, Macaulay Gillesphey, Alex Gilliead, Tom Heardman, Ryan McKinnon, James Morgan, Greg Olley, Jonathyn Quinn, Lubomir Satka and Liam Smith have all signed terms with Newcastle.
Most of them have progressed through the ranks at Little Benton while Aarons joins from Bristol City, Booth has arrived from Blackburn and Satka was signed from Dubnica.
The Slovakian joined the Reserves on their tour of Hong Kong last month and helped them to lift the Citibank Hong Kong Football Club International Soccer Sevens trophy, while England under-16 international forward Gilliead made his second-string debut last season.
Several of the new intake have already made their under-18 bows and all will hope to feature again for Dave Watson's side in the next campaign.
United won the Premier Academy League Group D title last term and Dennis Knight, Marcus Maddison, Brandon Miele, Alex Nicholson, Michael Riley and Jamie Smith have all been kept on.
However, Alex Baird, Billy Ions, Michael Hoganson, Ben Sayer, Louis Storey and Lee Toland have been released and their details circulated to other clubs.
Under-18s Coach Watson said: "It happens all the time in football.
"It's always disappointing when some kids don't get what they set out to get but it's not to say it's the end of the road.
"It's the start of a new beginning. If they leave here, they're starting again and hopefully they're going to make it somewhere else."