July 9, 2021...Sonic Youth: York United Smash U21 Required Minutes After Just Four Games (from York United FC website)

SONIC YOUTH: YORK UNITED SMASH U21 REQUIRED MINUTES AFTER JUST FOUR GAMES

The magic number for the entire campaign is 1500. The club has managed 1505 already.

We caught a glimpse of the club's young players at last year's Island Games tournament.

The likes of Lowell Wright, Max Ferrari, Ijah Halley and Isaiah Johnston were given a chance to impress
and turned quite a few heads with the calibre of their performances.

Then, everything was put on hold.

It was an extremely difficult off-season for every player, but for the raw and inexperienced it required
relentless patience, understanding, maturity and a wider responsibility to the culture of their club.
The onus was on them to grind each and every day - when nobody was watching and with an unspecified
start date.

There was no slacking. Just lots of hard work, the majority of it done individually. And when they
did return, they were bigger. They were stronger. They were ready.

"There's a confidence about them, a little bit of a swagger," said Head Coach, Jimmy Brennan, following
the team's opening fixture of the season against Cavalry FC where three U21 players (Wright, Ferrari
and new signing Terique Mohammed) started the game and another two (Johnston and Halley) were introduced
in the second-half.

"I like that in players. The one thing I've always told them is, 'I will never stop you from expressing
yourself when you're out on that field.'"

"There’s a confidence about them, a little bit of a swagger," says Jimmy Brennan about the club's
young players.

Their impact has continued to grow substantially.

In the 2-2 draw with Pacific FC, Ferrari sent in a perfect cross to assist on the first goal for
Diyaeddine Abzi. Meanwhile, Johnston was handed a start in that game, alongside a fellow teenager
- Cedric Toussaint, another fresh face.

Everything seemed to click perfectly for Sunday's clash with Valour FC, as Wright - who has started
every game so far - powerfully headed home from Abzi's flighted delivery for his first of the season.
Elsewhere, Johnston and Toussaint were superb in central midfield while it was Mohammed who set-up
Dominick Zator's winner with a pinpoint free-kick.

Besides the first ever victory of the York United era, that game was memorable for one other reason:
the club smashed the league's season requirement for U21 minutes...after just four games.

The magic number is 1500. York United has already reached 1505. Mohammed and Wright - both having
started every fixture so far - lead the way, though Johnston has done remarkably well considering
he didn't start the opener against Cavalry.

York United FC's U21 Minutes (after four games)
Terique Mohammed (4 starts): 347
Lowell Wright (4 starts) : 341
Isaiah Johnston (3 starts): 305
Max Ferrari (4 starts): 259
Cedric Toussaint (2 starts): 210
Ijah Halley (0 starts, 4 sub): 43

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