Scarlett’s souvenir following memorable season

Dane Scarlett recently received a commemorative cased match ball from the Premier League to mark his debut in the competition, rounding off an impressive campaign of progress for the young striker.

The 17-year-old came on in the closing stages of our 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion on 7 February for his maiden appearance in the top flight and was subsequently named among our substitutes on three further Premier League matchdays, including our final day win against Leicester City at the weekend.

He made three senior appearances overall in 2020/21, becoming our youngest ever player in Europe when he came off the bench for his debut against Ludogorets in the UEFA Europa League in November, 2020, while he also featured in February’s home match against Wolfsberger AC.

The forward is the latest on a long list of Academy graduates to receive commemorative debut balls from the Premier League in recent years, including Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga.

Posing for a photograph alongside Senior Academy Coach Bradley Allen, one of a number of coaches to have played a key part in Dane’s development at the Club, the 17-year-old smiled: “My Premier League debut is something that will stick with me because it was a big moment, not just for me but for my family as well. I’ve just got to keep kicking on and hopefully make some more appearances now.

“It’s clearly been my best season for a while, if not my whole life. In general, it was just a big confidence boost.”

After suffering a season-ending knee injury in November, 2019, Dane hit the ground running in his first season as a full-time Under-18s player this time around and was a shining light throughout our Under-18 Premier League campaign, hitting 17 goals in 16 appearances and another five goals in the FA Youth Cup – all in one game against Newport County. He also stepped up to play five times for the Under-23s, scoring three goals, while often enjoying opportunities to train with the first team squad to further hone his craft.

“I believe that if you work hard, you will get your rewards,” added Dane. “We have some brilliant players in the first team, so I continue to look up to them and trust that hopefully my time will come. You obviously have to earn the trust and respect of the players and staff when you go up to train at that level but the group has been really good with me – the senior players have put their arms around me and helped me a lot.

“I’m feeling good and I’m ready for my next challenges next season. Obviously there is a little break now for the summer but then I’ll be straight back at it. Pre-season is an important time so I’ll stay focused, try to do the right things and look forward to trying to achieve more next season.”