Since the last international break in September, our Under-18s have begun to pick up momentum with a run of three wins in a row. Under-18 Premier League victories over table-topping Aston Villa and West Ham United were followed by a 4-1 home win over Newcastle in the Premier League Cup.

The most recent was secured with goals by Sol Gordon and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen either side of a Leo Cardoso brace, and leaves us in first place in our group in that competition with maximum points, after the 3-2 win over Stoke City in our opening match.

‘Firstly it was a positive result against Newcastle, making it six points out of six in the cup competition, which is brilliant and a real testament to the boys,’ reflected Sulaiman. ‘In terms of the game itself, I would say we had a mixed start.

‘We had moments in the game where we really controlled the tempo and intensity in possession. Out of possession we felt that at times we were unable to disrupt Newcastle’s flow. While we had a good pressing strategy, Newcastle were able to evade our press on some occasions which provided a couple of opportunities for them.

‘We did go in at half-time 2-0 up, which was a positive and probably reflected how much we dominated that first half, but we still weren’t totally pleased with our performance and wanted to lift it in the second half.

‘Unfortunately they scored, arguably against the run of play, but after that the boys managed to find their rhythm again. Once we got into our flow we started to move the ball at a higher tempo and intensity. We started to evade their press and play it through them, but also found spaces in the wide areas to exploit.

‘In and around the box, I wouldn’t say we were as clinical as we would have liked, because we had a number of goal-scoring opportunities where the decision or the execution wasn’t quite right, but in the end we scored another two goals and won the game quite comfortably.’

The identity of one of the scorers was a welcome bonus, too. After being out of action due to injury for a lengthy period before returning towards the end of last season, Cardoso has started all but one of our seven matches in all competitions since the beginning of the current campaign and scored his first goals of 2024/25 against the Magpies.

‘A massive positive was Leo because he’s struggled with injuries for so long. He’s been back fit, playing well, and he’s managed to score two goals, so it was a real positive for him.’

‘He’s played well in the last few games and been unfortunate not to score, so on this occasion when he was able to score two, I think that was arguably one of the most positive things for us to take away.’

Following a difficult start to the season, our Under-18s’ run of three wins in a row with 13 goals scored during that trio of games shows clear progress. According to Sulaiman that has required the team to learn and grow quickly, both the older players like Cardoso, Ollie Harrison, Frankie Runham and Genesis Antwi, as well as the first-year scholars and schoolboys in the squad.

‘It's certainly a good sign and everyone wants to win. Winning is important, but the development side of what the boys have learned over those first few games is equally as important.

‘At the start of the season there was an air of naivety about our performances, but when you look at the make-up of the squad they are young, there aren’t many older ones, so it’s everybody’s responsibility to step up.

‘You always want the second years to step up because they’ve got a little bit more experience, so we charge them with taking up more of a leadership role to guide, support and influence the ones with the least experience.

‘But it’s everybody’s responsibility to show maturity on and off the field and we needed to make sure we matured quickly. If we can display maturity in our performances then we know that we will achieve some really positive things.

‘I think the last few games, and the number of goals we’ve scored, shows how much the boys have grown in a short space of time.’