Defender set for maiden Pompey call-up
Pompey youngster Sam Magri
Sam Magri is set to win his maiden Pompey call-up.
The 17-year-old is expected to be among the substitutes for tonight’s Championship trip to Birmingham.
Magri, from Fratton, has been part of the first-team set-up for the past few weeks.
Now, with Aaron Mokoena, David Norris, Luke Varney and Kanu absent through injury and Ryan Williams sold to Fulham, he will step up into tonight’s match-day squad.
It will be a proud moment for the former Meon Milton defender.
And Blues boss Michael Appleton has no qualms about calling on the Academy prospect.
He said: ‘Sam has travelled with us the past couple of times we have gone away.
‘He will probably get an opportunity to get on the bench tonight.
‘With Ryan Williams moving to Fulham, that creates a spot among the substitutes. If Sam gets on I am sure he won’t let anybody down.
‘With him it is similar to the Williams situation.
‘So if the Football League were looking on it in terms of having an extra number, he is actually down as a youth player.
‘In their eyes, Ryan was never part of the actual first-team squad.
‘And Sam has also done well in training for us.’
Magri will follow in the footsteps of both Williams and Adam Webster.
The trio have all emerged from the Academy set-up into the first-team picture this season.
Williams made six substitute appearances before his transfer deadline day move to Fulham.
He had already impressed under former boss Steve Cotterill during the pre-season programme.
As for Webster, he has so far played twice as a substitute under Appleton.
The 17-year-old from West Wittering is another who has risen from Andy Awford’s youth set-up.
What’s more, it appears there are others in the Academy a mere step behind.
George Coulson, Ashley Harris, Jed Wallace and Alex Grant have also worked with the first-team in recent weeks. And Appleton is liking what he is seeing.
He added: ‘Sam is used to being with the players every day.
‘It is about integrating him and that’s what we are doing with the majority of the players.
‘We have two or three of them training with us every week.
‘At the start of last week we had George, Ashley, Jed and Alex and it has been good.’
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Comments
There are 12 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
redvanmorrison
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:39 PMGood luck to him
bully71
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 06:09 PMCan someone tell me how kanu got injured ?? Put the kids in and get rid of all the over paid has beens !!
MattyPUPPTIDc MattyC
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 05:58 PMI am growing to like my impersonator.................... he is posting polite sensible things...................... odd bloke though, pretending to be someone else!!! Hey Ho. I am mee and only me can make my style typos etc !!! LMAO I also have a memory and can remember what I have posted in the past so if talking to me you can find the real me with ease!! Now where is deliverance1975, not seen him since my arguement.. and that is when my i personator arrived at the same time. Also very ASTONISHED that a ceretain Mr Brown has not replied to my e-mails!!!! hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
island blue
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 04:08 PMPost 7. If we are stuck with Plan B then the Football League have a major problem...partly of their own making, it has to be said. We are not an Accrington, a Newport Co or a Darlington. By comparison with those we are a very big club. I think it will be more than just the Football League who will have to think very seriously at the prospect of Pompey playing in a regionalised non-league scenario with the possibility of thousands of away supporters descending on places like Eastbourne, Salisbury and Dorchester!
MattyC
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 04:04 PMGood luck to you lad. Work hard and hopefully a decent team might sign you when we are liquidated. You'll even get paid....which will be a novelty.
chimonkey
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:45 PMPost 6....i'm not a pessimist, i'm optimistic that we'll get out of this mess somehow. But do you really think the majority of the youth players will stay at the club if it all goes wrong? No, they'll find new clubs that will give them a better chance of developing their careers. We might hang onto a few and then maybe utilise the ex-Pompey players playing in the non-league (poach the likes of Igoe, Pitt, Perry Ryan, Peter Gregory, Liam O'Brien, etc). Oh, and we'll prob be playing in Conference South not Div 2. The league won't allow a freshly formed club to just jump back into their pond. PUP. KEEP THE FAITH.
khodgkins
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:18 PMIt could well be the case that the kids managed by Awford and Macca will be the future of PFC, playing in div two. Well lets face it if pompey are liquidated then all first team players will be free agents and very shortly will be playing for other clubs. So bring on the kids sooner rather than later me thinks. The current situation really is a shame on the playing front as I think Pompey have thae makings of something special with current crop of first team and youth players. PUP
Appy pompeii
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:13 PMGreat news Sam :) You deserve it. PUP
chimonkey
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:10 PMMagri has long had a old head on his young shoulders. Captaining England under-17s has helped his process immensely. It's good to see these kids coming through and Appy actually using them. His slowly moulding of youth team members into 1st team squad players, in training, before testing them in short stints during a game is a perfect to judge them. Good luck to another local lad coming good. PUP. KEEP THE FAITH.
blue bob
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:04 PMThese young players may not be a roaring success to start with, but as gingerprince says, it can't be a bad thing to give them a chance to gain experience at first team level & beggars can't be choosers anyway. Just hope the vultures don't start circling.
OldPompeyBlue
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 12:46 PMA good young player with bags of potential, hence why has been representing his country. I, 4-1, believe that if he gets the chance this evening he will not let us down.
gingerprince
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 12:40 PMI know current circumstances are driving this, but bringing on the youth players is never a bad thing.
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