MAURO MAKES THE STEP UP IN CLASS
Posted on: Mon 16 Nov 2009
A year ago Mauro Vilhete sat in Class 11 at Ravenscroft School, Barnet, as one of a team of schoolboys coding games and providing analysis for Barnet FC through the ProZone scheme.
On Saturday he sat proudly on the substitutes' bench at Underhill hoping to make his Football League debut and become the youngest player in the 100 year-plus history of the Bees.
Unfortunately manager Ian Hendon's intention of blooding 16-year-old right winger Mauro had to be abandoned with the score against Hereford United 0-0 and the result in doubt until the final whistle.
"I'd like to have got him on but the way the game was going it wasn't to be", said Hendon.
The youngest League player for Barnet was Kieran Adams, who was 17 years 71 days when he played against Mansfield in December 31. Ismail Yakubu made his debut a month before his 18th birthday when he was studying for his A-levels ... but that was when the Bees were in the Conference.
During his time as an analyst of the way the Bees performed Mauro sat down one-to- one with Cliff Akurang - currently on loan at Rushden and Diamonds - to discuss the striker's role in a game.
Mauro played for the Ravenscroft School team and was also part of the Kickz community project at Underhill School. He was voted Man of the Tournament when Barnet Kickz won a national competition at Chelsea's home ground at Stamford Bridge.
Mauro is now part of the new Barnet youth set-up based at the new training ground at Edgware. When then Barnet manager Paul Fairclough, alerted to Mauro's promise, heard that Premiership Aston Villa were wooing the youngster he set up a meeting with Ravenscroft's assistant head teacher Minos Perdios. Mauro opted to play for his local team.
Ian Hendon also called outside left Charlie Morgan, also 16, into the squad for Saturday's game. Morgan, who has signed for the Bees after being released by West Ham United, played for Barnet in a recent practice match against Colchester United alongside youth centre back Ryan Scott. Ryan also played with the seniors in a friendly at Harlow.
With youth team striker Kofi Lockhart-Adams also called up to join the first team squad, it seems a fair bet that namesake Kieran Adams may lose his place in the record books as Barnet's youngest ever sooner rather than later.
Note: if Mauro had played against Hereford he would have been alongside 41-year-old Paul Furlong and 34-year-old skipper Micah Hyde.
Dennis Signy
On Saturday he sat proudly on the substitutes' bench at Underhill hoping to make his Football League debut and become the youngest player in the 100 year-plus history of the Bees.
Unfortunately manager Ian Hendon's intention of blooding 16-year-old right winger Mauro had to be abandoned with the score against Hereford United 0-0 and the result in doubt until the final whistle.
"I'd like to have got him on but the way the game was going it wasn't to be", said Hendon.
The youngest League player for Barnet was Kieran Adams, who was 17 years 71 days when he played against Mansfield in December 31. Ismail Yakubu made his debut a month before his 18th birthday when he was studying for his A-levels ... but that was when the Bees were in the Conference.
During his time as an analyst of the way the Bees performed Mauro sat down one-to- one with Cliff Akurang - currently on loan at Rushden and Diamonds - to discuss the striker's role in a game.
Mauro played for the Ravenscroft School team and was also part of the Kickz community project at Underhill School. He was voted Man of the Tournament when Barnet Kickz won a national competition at Chelsea's home ground at Stamford Bridge.
Mauro is now part of the new Barnet youth set-up based at the new training ground at Edgware. When then Barnet manager Paul Fairclough, alerted to Mauro's promise, heard that Premiership Aston Villa were wooing the youngster he set up a meeting with Ravenscroft's assistant head teacher Minos Perdios. Mauro opted to play for his local team.
Ian Hendon also called outside left Charlie Morgan, also 16, into the squad for Saturday's game. Morgan, who has signed for the Bees after being released by West Ham United, played for Barnet in a recent practice match against Colchester United alongside youth centre back Ryan Scott. Ryan also played with the seniors in a friendly at Harlow.
With youth team striker Kofi Lockhart-Adams also called up to join the first team squad, it seems a fair bet that namesake Kieran Adams may lose his place in the record books as Barnet's youngest ever sooner rather than later.
Note: if Mauro had played against Hereford he would have been alongside 41-year-old Paul Furlong and 34-year-old skipper Micah Hyde.
Dennis Signy
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