Dundee United’s U/18 side brought the curtain down on their campaign on Friday afternoon.
It may have lacked the spectacle of the first team lifting the Championship trophy at a packed, electric Tannadice seven days prior but, like their senior counterparts, the United kids ended the season in style, demolishing Motherwell 8-1.
Andy Payne’s young Terrors concluded their fixture list with a remarkable run of eight wins in a row, including thumping 6-2 and 5-1 victories over Queen’s Park and Hearts, respectively.
Following a sluggish start to the season, United gathered momentum and ultimately ended the CAS Elite U/18 League in a respectable seventh spot (yet with more points than Hamilton in fourth, due to the vagaries of the split).
Here, Courier Sport shines a light on six of the Tangerine teens who impressed this term, with the notable omission of Rory MacLeod, who – while a goal machine at U/18 level – is already a fairly regular part of the United senior picture.
Scott Constable
Constable became the second-youngest player to ever feature for the United senior side earlier this season.
He entered the fray as a late substitute as United saw out a 2-0 win over Airdrie on September 4.
Constable had only turned 16 a couple of weeks prior and took advantage of a late call-up to the bench due to Chris Mochrie suffering a knock.
Rangy and competitive, Constable – who joined United’s academy from Fairmuir Boys Club at the age of nine – has shone at right-back and midfield.
And his efforts have caught the eye of Scotland coaches, earning him a place in several U/17 squads.
Samuel Cleall-Harding
Cleall-Harding, a regular for the U/18s, became a familiar face among the United senior substitutes during the run-in, with injuries to Declan Gallagher and Kevin Holt stretching Jim Goodwin’s squad.
However, there was no sense of panic within Tannadice regarding the prospect of the 18-year-old being called upon. He has long been considered one of United’s brightest defensive prospects.
Cleall-Harding has already shown the resilience to bounce back from a serious knee injury during the 2021/22 campaign and now cuts an imposing presence; he certainly looks the part for a bustling centre-half.
Aggressive and tough tackling, the former Riverside West End kid is a graduate of the Baldragon Academy Performance School.
Lewis O’Donnell
A little creative license on this one.
Due to the gifted midfielder spending the season on loan at Kelty Hearts, he hasn’t been in contention for United’s U/18 side. However, it would be remiss to omit him from a list of Tangerines talents, for he is one of the most promising.
That has been underlined in League One, with O’Donnell a pivotal part of Michael Tidser’s Maroon Machine which narrowly missed out on a promotion playoff place.
He played 38 games for Kelty, opening his senior account with a televised stunner from distance against Falkirk.
Should O’Donnell remain at Tannadice – he has been linked with a switch to Watford – then he could feasibly be a contender to follow in the footsteps of Ross Graham, Kai Fotheringham and Miller Thomson by pushing for first team minutes.
Adam Carnwath
Carnwath endured a cruelly premature end to a fine campaign when he suffered a devastating ankle injury in a U/18s fixture against Hearts. Such was the severity, that the game was abandoned with the Tangerines leading 7-2.
Carnwath would later undergo surgery to repair the damage, with Goodwin indicating the club’s intention to offer the winger an extension to his contract, regardless of the setback.
And that is far from a mere gesture.
It spotlights the potential Carnwath is considered to have, having shone as a tricky, direct threat for Payne’s side throughout the campaign.
He made his senior debut for United against Falkirk in November.
Brandon Forbes
Another marauder from wide areas, Forbes has illustrated an ability to drive down the flanks or cut inside and get shots away.
He has proved a potent goal threat during a superb run of form for United’s youngsters, with a particular penchant for the spectacular.
Forbes showcased that with two screamers from the edge of the box against the Steelmen on Friday night – and has rippled the net five times in his last six outings.
Owen Stirton
United have high hopes for Stirton.
He already boasts precocious physicality for a player of his age – albeit he is understandably yet to add bulk to his height – and caught the eye of Goodwin sufficiently to earn an invite to train with the first team last summer.
Stirton was then afforded five senior appearances from the bench and was an unused substitute 11 times during United’s Championship campaign.
International recognition came in the form of a Scotland U/17 call-up, with Stirton finding the net against Kazakhstan. Several English clubs are known to have made the trip north to size up his potential.
It will be fascinating to see what United’s plan for Stirton is next term; a formative first loan spell?
Stirton is the first graduate of the Baldragon Academy Performance School to make his United debut.
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