Second year scholar Alex Aitken has been named as one of the country's stand-out Academy players by the League Football Education (LFE), recognised for both his on-and-off the pitch achievements...
'The 11’ acknowledges the football and academic progress of Under 18 players on apprenticeships at current or former English Football League (EFL) clubs - and is also designed to assess other factors, including involvement in community or charity-based initiatives.
17-year-old goalkeeper Alex Aitken has made excellent academic progress this season and has impressed the first-team coaching staff with his performances between the sticks for the Under-18s.
On course to achieve a D*D*D* in his BTEC Extended Diploma, Alex has applied maximum effort to his studies and will now be looking to maintain those high standards.
Head of Education Dave Bass was full of praise for the youngster, telling LFE, “Alex is an impressive individual. He has navigated all the obstacles put in front of him by the pandemic, lockdown, remote learning etc, and has consistently produced assessment work of an excellent standard. What I admire most about Alex and highly driven students like him is that he challenges tutors and coaches like me to up our game and do a better job.”
Luke O’Reilly, Stevenage’s First-Team Goalkeeping Coach added, “I’ve really enjoyed working with Alex this season. He works hard and gives his all every day in whatever he does, which has led to his involvement in our first-team training sessions. He has a real competitive edge and wants to be as good as he can possibly be. He also soaks up information really well and is never afraid to ask questions to get better.”
Former Stevenage Academy players and League Two Apprentice of the Year winners Arthur Iontton (2019) and Ben Wilmot (2018) both featured in 'The 11' prior to receiving their awards.
To view all 11 players to make the November shortlist, please click here.
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