Hull City starlet Greg Olley 'seizing second chance' after Newcastle United release please log in to view this image Hull City youngster Greg Olley is seizing his second chance in professional football – six months after he was thrown a lifeline at the KC Stadium by former goalkeeper Steve Harper. Olley was the star of the show as the Tigers' under-21s fought from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Monday night. Introduced as a half-time substitute, his predatory finish capped an impressive showing in front of over 700 fans at the KC and manager Steve Bruce. Olley has only been with City since the tail-end of last season when released by his boyhood club Newcastle United. The 19-year-old playmaker was invited to train with the Tigers on the recommendation of veteran keeper Harper and soon won himself a one-year deal. Academy manager Tony Pennock said: "It was Steve Harper who told us about Greg at the back end of last season. "He still keeps in contact with Peter Beardsley (Newcastle academy coach), who spoke highly of Greg. "I don't really know the details of why he was released. "He had an injury the year before and didn't play a lot of games but it was a surprise that they let him go. "He came down and trained with us and showed the attitude that we like. "You can see he grew up in a good academy, like Newcastle, and he fits in with the style of play we're after." Monday's goal was Olley's second for City's under-21s and only a fantastic save from Leeds keeper Eric Grimes denied him a brace on the night when replacing fit-again Robert Snodgrass. Pennock added: "If I'm honest Greg has been the unfortunate one a lot of times this year. "When we've had senior players come in, it tends to be someone in Greg's position. "He's had to bide his time and missed out in the last few weeks but he's shown the attitude that I expect all our players to have when they're on the bench, not to sulk. "All we ask of a substitute is to make a difference and Stephen Clemence (first-team coach) came in afterwards and told Greg he'd changed the game. "He was excellent, so credit to him." City's comeback against a strong Leeds outfit continued an excellent season that has so far seen them lose just one of 15 games at under-21s level. A first outing at the KC Stadium added significance to the occasion and Pennock was pleased to see his team do themselves justice. "It's a massive boost for them to be playing at the KC," he added. "It's supposed to help them prepare for being in the first team. "I'm hopeful that the 700 or so fans here will go away and tell other people that they saw us compete well against a good Leeds team. Hopefully more people will come next time around." http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull...tory-28321172-detail/story.html#ixzz3toVCwmP3
It's a requirement of Cat 2 academy status, I think there has to be something like four games a season at the main stadium.
Bastards....just when I thought it was safe to set up my trampoline on this large grassy field......not again.....
There is 3 left to play. Sheffield Wednesday (Monday February 8, kick-off 7pm) Bolton Wanderers (Saturday February 20, kick-off 5:15pm) Bristol City (Saturday April 2, kick-off 5:15pm)
