Trotters Hope For More Finds Down Under

By Mark Heys
July 13 2005

Bolton's Youth Academy director Chris Sulley is hoping to strenghthen the club's links with Australia and seek out more players like Scott Jamieson.

Jamieson, usually a midfielder, made his first team debut at left-back in Saturday's friendly rout against Rushen United due to the enforced absence of Ricardo Gardner on international duty.

The former Westfield Sport's high school pupil played for well over an hour before being replaced by Frenchman Bedi Buval. Sulley told the Manchester Evening News that links with the school have grown since Jamieson came over to England back in February this year.

"Our scout Geoff McDougle went for a look after we had been told about the school while I went to New Zealand. Then Trevor Morgan, who is the full-time soccer coach, came to Bolton for a month and it all grew from there.

"I've cemented the links since then and we've already brought over young Scott. He has the great asset of a good left foot and came here as a midfielder, although he filled in at left-back on Saturday."

"At the moment he's a lad with a lot of potential and a great attitude, just like all the others in his age group. I don't want anyone getting carried away but I am hopeful of finding other lads at Westfields. There are some I am monitoring already.

Sulley says that most of the boys at Westfields have British passports due to family links, indeed Jamieson father Alex is from Scotland and has played at Ipswich Town.

"Soccer is one of six sports they concentrate and the great benefit of most boys there is that they hold British passports. Scott's father Alex was a Scottish youth player at Ipswich.


"Obviously Westfields doesn't attract every top young soccer player in Australia but the school certainly does have a very good filtering process and we can take advantage of that.

"The great strength of the school, which is funded by the New South Wales government, is that it provides its sporting facilities and educational curriculum on the same site."

Westfield has also produced other footballers such as Harry Kewell (Leeds United and Liverpool), Jamie McMaster (Leeds United and Chesterfield), Les Pogliacomi (Oldham Athletic) and Shane Cansdell-Sheriff (Leeds United and AGF Aarhus).