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Academy U18s Profiles


Nick Harrison
Assistant Head of Youth
Assisting Graham Alexander in the youth team set up at Deepdale is Nick Harrison. 

Nick , who has worked for the Club since 2006, has previously coached down the road at Burnley running their community set up.

He is an A Licenced coach who runs the centre of excellence at the Club as well as working alongside Grezza with the 16 to 18-year-old age group.

Nicky Reid
Youth Team Physio
The former professional footballer with, amongst others, Blackburn Rovers, joined the Club in the summer of 2012, replacing Matt Barrass who left to join Bradford City as first team physio.

Nicky played 217 times for Manchester City  and scored twice in two spells at the club between 1977 and 1982 and 1982 and 1987 before transferring to Blackburn  in July 1987. 

In 1982, he played on loan to the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League.

Nicky was a finalist for City in the 100th FA Cup Final of 1981 with the likes of Ray Ranson and Tommy Caton. 

He helped Blackburn win promotion to the new FA Premier League in the 1991/92 season

Nicky joined West Bromwich Albion for the 1992/93 season helping the club win promotion from division two; he was on the scoresheet when Albion beat Port Vale 3-0 in the Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium, his only goal for the club.

Nicky signed for Sligo Rovers as a player in 1997, but took over as player-manager when Jimmy Mullen left in July 1997. In his first season he took the club on its longest ever unbeaten run and saw them claim the FAI League Cup in February 1998, beating Shelbourne over two legs in the final (Nicky captained the side). 

On his return to England he studied for a part-time degree in Sports Rehabilitation from the University of Salford.

Nicky was appointed assistant physiotherapist at Burnley in 2000. He left in 2004 to take up a position with Manchester City, where he stayed until 2005. 

Nicky joined Barrow AFC as their fitness coach in October 2005, before joining Bury FC as physiotherapist in February 2006. He left them in July 2007 by mutual consent and became physio at Hyde United, and in January 2008 became Paul Lake's replacement as Macclesfield Town physio.

He completed a second degree at the University of Salford in 2008, this time in Physiotherapy and joined North End in the summer after Macc's relegation to the conference.

Second Year Profiles

Steven James - Goalkeeper
Date of birth: 19th December 1994
Place of birth: Southport

Adam Thurston - Defender
Date of birth: 13th October 1994
Place of birth: Liverpool

Daniel Forbes - Defender
Date of birth: 13th January 1995
Place of birth: Preston

Ben Davies – Defender
Date of birth: 11th August 1995
Place of birth: Barrow

Alan Scurry - Defender
Date of birth: 1st September 1994
Place of birth: Liverpool

Jack Sowerby
Date of birth: 23rd March 1995
Place of birth: Preston

David Kuba-Kuba – Midfielder
Date of birth: 1st March 1995
Place of birth:  London

Ryan Croasdale - Midfielder
Date of birth: 26th September 1994
Place of birth: Lancaster

Daniel Birchall - Forward
Date of birth: 
Place of birth: 

Matt Greenwood - Midfielder/Forward
Date of birth: 2nd June 1995
Place of birth: Manchester

Josh Amis - Forward
Date of birth: 24th October 1994
Place of birth: Liverpool

Brandon Zibaka – Forward
Date of birth: 20th May 1995
Place of birth: Camden

Ronald Drafi - Forward
Date of birth: 17th June 1995
Place of birth: Nove Zamky, Slovakia

First Year Profiles 
Tom Quinn – Goalkeeper 
Date of birth: 9th September 1995
Place of birth: Liverpool

Nick Anderton – Defender
Date of birth: 27th April 1996
Place of birth:  Preston

George Gray – Defender 
Date of birth: 20th March 1996
Place of birth: Dundonald

Sean Holmes – Midfielder
Date of birth: 4th September 1995
Place of birth: Blackburn

Jordan Scott – Midfielder 
Date of birth: 23th September 1995
Place of birth: Blackburn

Joshua Brownhill – Midfielder 
Date of birth: 19th December 1995
Place of birth: Manchester

Tyler Forbes – Midfielder
Date of birth: 8th March 1996
Place of birth: Preston

Joe Whittington - Striker
Date of birth: 2nd April 1996
Place of birth: London

Jack Ryan – Striker
Date of birth: 5th April 1996
Place of birth: Barrow