A message from the Youth Management

Photo: Max Woodward

Firstly, on behalf of myself, Aren, Joshua & Ryan, we would like to thank all of the players for their efforts and commitment throughout the season.

A big thank you must also go to Dave Cotton, Keith Rattle & Graham King for ensuring the pitch has been so well looked after and prepared for every game. We’re also grateful to Shem, Jon and the rest of the Board for their continued backing and support of the lads, Sharon for organising fixtures and kits, and to the bar and café staff for everything they do behind the scenes.

A massive thank you to Jack, Harry & Max from the media team who have covered several games this season, your support & coverage of the games has been fantastic & something the lads have enjoyed. Also, thanks to our amazing supporters who have travelled across the county to support the lads, your support does not go unrecognised.

A special mention goes to Carl Parsley, who has recently decided to take some time away from football. Thank you for all your hard work across pre-season and throughout the campaign – it has been hugely appreciated by both the coaching staff and the players.

Woodbridge Town U18s vs Framlingham Town U18s - 30/04/26 (Photo: Caine Hammond)

Whilst the season may not have gone exactly as planned for the U18s, we remained competitive in the majority of our games and regularly fielded a young side. It’s been fantastic to see several U16 players step up into the U18 setup, and in turn, U18 players progressing into the U23 and first team squads – clear proof that the pathway is working. A fitting way to end the season saw two of those U16 players get on the scoresheet in our 2–0 win over local rivals Framlingham Town.

Reaching a county cup semi-final is a fantastic achievement. Although we exited against a very strong Needham Market side, we had an excellent run to get there, with wins over AFC Royals, Framlingham Town and a strong Haverhill Borough team.

Woodbridge Town U18s after their 4-2 penalty shootout win over Haverhill Borough

Despite spending much of the campaign near the bottom of the league – with our inexperience being shown at times – the lads persevered and demonstrated real character to pick up crucial points when it mattered most, eventually finishing 8th in a very competitive league. There were some outstanding performances across the season, with very few days where things simply didn’t go our way.

U18s Manager, Aren Howell, said:

“The season hasn’t gone how we all planned, but we’ve seen players progress into the U23s and first team and grow into young men. We now have a solid foundation to build on, and we’re already looking to improve again next season.”

The U23s have enjoyed a fantastic season, finishing third in the league - an improvement on last season’s fourth-place finish.

This year’s squad followed a similar pathway to the U18s, with a number of U18 players stepping up. On average, matchday squads included around eleven U18 players, with many of the remaining players only one or two years older. Maintaining an average age of just under 19 across the season, particularly compared to other teams in the league, is a significant achievement.

The U23s also reached the county cup semi-final. Despite leading 3–0 at half-time, the team were narrowly defeated by a determined Needham Market side. Congratulations go to Brantham Athletic on securing the league title, county cup, and league cup.

Despite a disrupted season that included a break of nearly two months without fixtures, the squad showed great resilience to regroup and refocus on the targets set during pre-season. 

Those objectives - primarily to improve on last season’s performance - were successfully achieved, even with several player changes over the summer.

There were some outstanding wins, some crucial results, and a few disappointing setbacks, but overall the standard has been raised. The focus now is to build on this progress next season, continue pushing forward, and support more players in progressing to the first team.

Thanks again to all & we hope to see your continued support next season. 

Up The Peckers! 

Caulay Howell

Head of Player Development, U18 & U23 Assistant Manager.