By Gareth James
Rob Edwards has named a 20-player squad for Cymru’s first U18 match in more than twenty years when they play England on Monday 29 March (KO 12:00).
The squad includes Burnley’s Keelan Williams, younger brother of Liverpool and Wales defender Neco.
Several players selected were part of the U17 side that qualified for last season’s UEFA #U17EURO Elite Round, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The side will be managed by Edwards, with players moving into the U19 setup for the 2021/22 season.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the players and seeing their development,” said Edwards.
“We take great pride in seeing players take the step up to the senior team and we hope to see more of that across the age groups.
“This group qualified for the U17 Elite Round which was unfortunately cancelled, but it shows that it’s a squad that can compete.”
The U18 setup has been relaunched to align with changes to UEFA’s tournament structure and to increase game time for age group international players.
The last U18s match was a 2-0 win against Latvia in October 2000. The side was managed by Neville Southall and Cymru international Jermaine Easter was on the scoresheet.
There will also be an U17 training camp taking place during the March international window (21-25 March).
The 22-player squad will be led by Matty Jones, with Rich Williams and Rob Edward as assistant coaches.
The Cymru v England match will be shown live on the FAW Facebook and YouTube channels, and will be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Cymru U18: Max WILLIAMS (Salford City), Edward BEACH (Southampton), Harry JONES (Swansea City), Keelan WILLIAMS (Burnley), Harry LEESON (Bristol City), Matt BAKER (Gillingham), Jay WILLIAMS (Fulham), Zac WILLIAMS (Crewe Alexandra), Tom DAVIES (Cardiff City), Taylor JONES (Cardiff City), Oli EWING (Leicester City), Charlie SAVAGE (Manchester United), Joel COTTERILL (Swansea City), Jayden RAYMOND (Crystal Palace), Lewys TWAMLEY (Newport County), Cameron CONGREVE (Swansea City), Taz MAYEMBE (Cardiff City), Pat JONES (Huddersfield Town), Ryan VIGGARS (Sheffield United), Connor SALISBURY (Crewe Alexandra)
Cymru U17: Ronnie HOLLINGSHEAD (West Bromwich Albion), Tyler EVANS (Swansea City), Lewis RIDD (Ipswich Town), Joel GREEN (Newcastle United), Ben HAMMOND (Nottingham Forest), Kai LUDVIGSEN (Swansea City), George ABBOTT (Watford), Zac WILLIAMS (Crewe Alexandra), Zac BELL (Bristol City), Murphy BENNETT (Manchester City), Mathaeus ROBERTS (Arsenal), Joel COTTERILL (Swansea City), Ben LLOYD (Swansea City), Luke HARRIS (Fulham), Ben PURCELL (Reading), Jordan JAMES (Birmingham City), Harry JEWITT-WHITE (Portsmouth), Cameron CONGREVE (Swansea City), Arron BENNETT (Preston North End), Morgan WILLIAMS (AFC Wimbledon), Ryan HOLMES (MK Dons), Iwan ROBERTS (Liverpool) FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF WALES PRESS RELEASE U18 squad announced to face England Cardiff, Wales: 12/03/2021 EMBARGO 12:00
