Calum Barrett
The teenage custodian was the first choice once again for the U18s last term as the boys in claret and blue achieved a mid-table finish in the Barclays Premier Academy League. He also made four starts for the reserves as well as featuring in the FA Youth Cup third round defeat at Brighton. But the highlight of Barrett's season came in the NextGen Series. His first appearance in the prestigious European tournament came in a 3-2 defeat against Rosenborg in Trondheim. Then, with Siegrist ruled out of the quarter-final tie against Marseille at Villa Park through injury, Barrett stepped in and produced a coming-of-age performance with a string of fantastic saves. Barrett only began his full-time academy scholarship at Villa in 2010-11, but by then he had already made a huge impression at the club as a schoolboy. The Stafford-born keeper made his name in the FA Youth Cup quarter-final at Fulham in 2009-10 with two stunning saves in normal time before keeping out two penalty kicks to earn Villa a shootout victory. Having already proved himself to be a more than capable deputy to the injured Siegrist, Barrett was able to hit the ground running when he began the first year of his scholarship. He was Villa's regular first choice in both league and cup in 2010-11 as the boys in claret and blue clinched the Barclays Premier Academy League title with the fewest goals conceded of all the teams. An unfortunate dismissal in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals against Sheffield United failed to take the gloss off a fine season for the youngster. Barrett, who counts former Villa and Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel as his footballing idol, has impressed the coaching staff with his shot-stopping and ability to handle crosses. |
