On Thursday, 1 April, Dave Leonard, Head of Football at the College, and Taylor Wynn, football coach, attended the U14 Plymouth Schools’ Football Association final trials at Elburton Villa.

 It was great to see a good number of Ivybridge students involved in the final trials, and our congratulations go to our three Year 9 students, Dan, Liam and Riley, who were successfully selected.

The good news continued, with various players representing different Plymouth Argyle squads.  Starting with the Women’s First Team, Year 11 student, Rosie, started up front for their game against MAP, and also got on the score sheet.  Rosie has been playing consistently for Plymouth Argyle’s Women’s First Team all season, and it has been excellent to see her having such a big impact in those games.

Year 10 students, Kieran and Caleb, and Year 11 student, Jack, were involved in the match day squad for Plymouth Argyle’s U18’s in their game against Bristol Rovers.  Jack started the game, which was played at Plymouth’s First Team’s training ground, Harper’s Park, along with two former Ivybridge Community College students, Carlo Garside, and Tyler Coombes.  With the game tied at 0-0 at half time, Argyle brought on Kieran and Caleb, who were playing a number of years above their age group. They both had extremely positive impacts on the game, with Caleb getting the opening goal, to make it 1-0 to Argyle; before Kieran slotted home a penalty which he had won for the home side.  The game finished 2-0 to Plymouth Argyle, so clearly an influential performance from our two Year 10 students.  

Finally, the Plymouth Argyle First Team secured their League One status for next season, despite their loss at Oxford United.  That game also featured five former Ivybridge students, with Michael Cooper, Ryan Law and Luke Jephcott starting the game, and with Klaidi Lolos and Ollie Tomlinson on the bench.  It was also great to see former student, Finley Craske, travelling with the First Team; hopefully a sign of things to come.

Head of Football, Dave Leonard, said, ‘It was excellent to be checking the team sheets over the weekend and seeing all of the former Ivybridge Community College students in their respective squads for Plymouth Argyle.  It’s even better to see current students pushing themselves and testing them against older year groups, and having really positive impacts in their games.  I am delighted for our three Year 9 students who have been selected for the U14 Plymouth Schoolboys, and I’m sure they will go onto great successes in their squads.”