The Next Generation Of Young SPL Stars

With David Goodwillie looking like he may be on the move from Dundee United, with a 2million pound price being talked about, another top talent looks set to leave the SPL, or at the very least join one of the Old Firm.  This is an all too common scenario with the ten SPL clubs outside of the SPL, and this is how business works in the Scottish game.  Youngsters are brought through the ranks to be sold at a later date.  So, in this editorial, TheFullTenYards will look at 5 other youngsters that are coming through at clubs throughout Scotland, that are likely to join Goodwillie in making a big money move very soon.

1:  Jamie Murphy (Striker) - Motherwell - 21 Years Old - 147 Games (27 Goals)

A product of the fabled Motherwell youth system, famous for bringing through players such as James McFadden and Mark Reynolds, the next star to come through is Jamie Murphy.  The young Scotsman made his debut in 2007 as a substitute against Celtic.  This was to be his only appearance of that season, however, the following season he made 17 appearances, albeit with all of them coming from the bench, scoring his first goal for the club against Hibs.  From that, Murphy has developed into a better player every season, making more appearances and scoring more goals each season.  Moreover, from what was seen of him at the weekend against Inverness, that trend is not likely to stop.

A striker who is also able to play on the wings, Murphy is a star that is currently being watched by many clubs throughout England.  Motherwell fans though are hopeful that Murphy decides to continue to develop at the Steelmen for one more season, before making his big money move.

2: David Templeton (Winger) - Hearts - 22 Years Old - 54 Games (9 Goals)

The young Hearts winger lit up the SPL in the final few months of the previous season, having been described by Hearts manager as being 15 million pounds worth of talent.  Having been nabbed at a young age while playing Third Division football at Stenhousemuir for £20,000, this shows how much the youngster has came on under the guide of Csaba Laszlo and Jim Jefferies.  He continued to dazzle at a loan spell with Raith Rovers in 2008, and was eventually brought into the Hearts first team in 2009 making 17 first team appearances.

His stock continued to rise throughout last season , with two young player of the month awards for his performances in November and December.  He also started to add goals to his game, culminating in a cracking solo effort in the first Edinburgh derby last season.  Templeton was also recognised by both fans and players as he was nominated for both the PFA Young Player of the Year and the Hearts Fans Young Player Of The Year, the latter of which he won.

If Templeton does continue to play the way he is, then a big money move is surely inevitable.

3: Paul Hanlon (Centre Back) - Hibs - 21 Years Old - 65 Games (3 Goals)

Hanlon used to be an attacking midfielder while playing for youth sides in Edinburgh, however, having been converted to a centre back when joining Hibs, he has became a solid defensive minded player, excelling at both left back and centre back.  Having came up through the youth side, Hanlon has used the previous two seasons to really assert himself as a fixture in the first team, either at left back or centre half.  Hibs have been his only team throughout the last four years, apart from a short loan spell at St. Johnstone.

Having captained Scotland’s Under 19 and Under 21 sides, Hanlon finally became club captain of Hibs in the second half of last season, and enjoyed his most fruitful season, making a total of 33 games and scoring 2 goals.  Furtermore he also won Hibs Player Of The Year last season and his future looks bright in the game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing in the Premiership in the next few seasons. 


4: Liam Kelly (Central Midfielder) - Kilmarnock - 21 Years Old - 47 Games (8 Goals)

Kelly was a number of youngsters who were released by MK Dons in 2008 as the club could no longer afford to keep him on.  The young Englishman found himself out of the game for a few months before he eventually joined Kilmarnock in 2009.  The youngster had to wait until the second half of the 2010/11 season before being given a start by Jimmy Calderwood and Jimmy Nicholl, after the sacking of Jim Jefferies.  Grabbing this chance he took full advantage and ended up being a regular under the two Jimmy’s, scoring his first goal for the club in a Scottish cup tie against Inverness.

After Mixu Paatelainen took the reigns at Killie, Kelly continued to hold down a first team position, playing alongside Alexei Eremenko and Craig Bryson in a strong Killie midfield.  He also made his first Scotland Under 21 appearance (being eligible through both his parents being Scottish) in a match against Belgium last season.  The midfielder continued to prove himself and has the talent and tenacity to go far in the game, and follow both Bryson and Eremenko to better things in the future.

5: Fraser Fyvie (Attacking Midfielder) - Aberdeen - 18 Years Old - 32 Games (1 Goal)

One of the most highly rated youngsters in Scotland at this point, Fyvie looks to make this season his breakthrough season at Aberdeen, having had last season be a write off after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in the early part of last season.  However, Fyvie has had a promising start to his career before the injury, having made his debut at the tender age of 16, where he was also awarded the man of the match for his performance.  He also scored his first goal for the Dons in January 2010, the goal seeing him become the youngest ever player to score in the SPL, beating the record set by David Goodwillie.

At 18, and having missed most of last season with injury, Fyvie has already made an astonishing 32 appearances for the club, which shows the faith they have in the youngster, and I will be very surprised if he is not plying his trade at a higher level within the next five years.

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Weekend Review

With the Scottish season now up and running, with only one game left to be played in the opening set of fixtures (Dunfermline vs. St. Mirren) which shall be looked at tomorrow, it is now time to review the opening set of games in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, starting with the Saturday fixtures.

Rangers 1 - 1 Hearts

Ally’s McCoist’s first game in charge of the Glasgow giants ended in disappointment as they could only salvage a draw against a good Hearts side. Ryan McGowan’s pressure and good ball skills led to a corner being conceded by new Rangers signing Juanma. The resultant corner was floated in by Hearts new signing Danny Grainger and was powered home by the leaping David Obua for an unlikely lead for the team from Gorgie. Two claims for penalties were then turned down, as first Jelavic took a tumble under pressure from the Hearts defence, and then Stevie Naismith went down on the edge of the box. Both decisions were rightfully played on, much to the disgust of the home fans. Naismith should have equalised early in the second half, after a lovely dummy by Jelavic left him one on one, but his shot went well over the bar. Rangers eventual equaliser came more from a mistake by Hearts than anything else, as Ryan McGowan was robbed of possession on the half way line, and the marauding Sasa Papac made him pay, swinging in a cross for Naismith to comfortably head home. Both Obua (denied by a superb save by McGregor) and Papac could have won the game for their teams, but in the end a draw was a fair result.

Man Of The Match - Marius Zaliukas (Hearts): Showed why he is considered one of the best defenders in the SPL with a stand out performance. Marshalled his defence well, and continues to look a class act.

Aberdeen 0 - 0 St. Johnstone

A very windy game at Aberdeen produced a rather dire game of football, with few decent talking points. Ricky Foster thankfully not getting booed by his own fans after his experience with Rangers last season, creating the two best Aberdeen chances in the first half with long range efforts which were comfortably dealt with by Peter Enckleman. The excellent Fraser Fyvie played a delightful through ball to Darren Mackie early in the second half, but the Dons were stopped again by Enckleman. The wind nearly became the most talked about moment in the game, as a high corner from the Dons was caught in it and a scrambling Enckleman had to deal with a ball at his near posts which a few seconds ago was heading deep for his back post. Fyvie came the closest to opening the scoring as his cross hit the inside of the post after looping over Enckleman, before bouncing harmlessly back to a Saints player. The major talking point of the game occurred when a loose pass by Ryan Jack was picked up by Murray Davidson, with the former coming in with a late studs up tackle onto the ankle of the Saints midfielder. A red card was produced by referee Conroy and upon looking at it, it was a very late challenge and probably justified the sending off.

Man of the Match - Fraser Fyvie (Aberdeen): The youngster looks like he could have a very big future in the game, and performances like this will continue to enhance his reputation.

Motherwell 3 - 0 Inverness

Jamie Murphy heightened his growing reputation within the game, and sent the watching scouts home with a glowing report. Michael Higdon also looked like he could be a decent signing for the steel men looking very good in the air. Richie Foran for Inverness came closest to opening the scoring, hitting the post with a curling shot from twenty yards. The opening goal came at the other side though, with an unlikely source in Stevie Hammell getting the goal in a fortunate manner, his volley hitting the post and then cannoning off the head of Ryan Esson and back into the net. Murphy got his goal after good work from Jennings and Law, which seen the new signing Law send the striker through on goal, and he showed the composure to side foot the ball past Esson to double Well’s lead. Inverness could have been back in the game though, but Greg Tansey seen his effort beat Randolph but come back off the post. Randolph then denied Tansey with a cracking point blank save, which was more a reflex than anything else. The third Well goal came from a superb shot from Keith Lasley, the ball dropping to him just outside the box and he powered it into the top corner, leaving Esson with no chance.

Man of the Match - Jamie Murphy (Motherwell): The young striker showed that he may be ready for a step up in class very soon, Motherwell will do very well to hold onto him during this transfer window.

Hibs 0 - 2 Celtic

Celtic get a good first win under their belts with a comfortable win against Hibs, however, the result was marred by the fact they were playing in the horrific “bumblebee” strip, which was a constant eyesore when watching the game. Anthony Stokes opened the scoring for the Hoops after a calamity from Hibs keeper Graham Stack who overstretched for the Celtic free kick and could only fumble the ball to the ex Hibs striker, who calmly placed the ball high into the net. The Hibs goalkeeper curse looks set to continue for a while yet it would seem. Marc Wilson then had a goal disallowed for offside and on further inspection it looked very tight, with the full back looking to be in line with the final Hibs defender. Claims for a Hibs penalty after Sproule fell under the challenge by Kelvin Wilson were rightfully turned away, the Hibs winger already falling before any contact was made. Ki Sung Yueng wrapped up the points for Celtic and completed an excellent display by the Korean, with a cracking strike that fizzed into bottom corner past the outstretched arm of Stack. Celtic were then awarded a penalty after Izaguirre was brought down by Sproule, however the resulting Hooper penalty was saved by Stack who palmed it onto the post.

Man of the Match - Ki Sung Yueng (Celtic): The Korean looked very assured in the middle of the park, did well in replacing Scott Brown and was at the heart of everything Celtic did.


Dundee United 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

Both teams fought out an even contest, with both teams trying to adjust to life after some of their star players had departed. New signing for United, John Rankin sending a shot flying past Cammy Bell’s goal. James Dayton will look to come on this year after missing seven months for Killie last season, and he was next to take a shot after a direct run from the half way line, however, his shot missed the target. David Goodwillie should have opened the scoring after a cracking cross from Paul Dixon was met only six yards out by Goodwillie, however the Scottish young player of the year missed when it looked easier to score. Cammy Bell then had to be alert in the Killie goal to stop a deflected cross sneaking into his bottom corner, while Harkins missed at the other end after hitting his own player with the ball. Killie new boy Rory McKeon then lit up the game in the second half, as he brought down a clearance twenty five yards out, before thumping the ball past the stretching Pernis and sending it crashing into the roof of the net, for a debut to remember. Dundee United soon equalised though, through a free kick that was struck against the wall only for it to fall to Danny Swanson, who then powered the ball into the bottom corner leaving Bell with no chance. It fell to Goodwillie though who had the opportunity to wrap up the three points for United in the last minute, however, he tried to take the ball by Bell and the Killie keeper managed to grab the ball, much to the relief of the Killie fans in attendance.

Man of the Match - Patrick Ada (Kilmarnock): The new recruit from Crewe looked very assured at the back, strong in the challenge and looks to have already set up a decent partnership with other new signing Zdenek Kroca in the backline.

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