Last season may have been a fairly miserable one for the U’s on the pitch, but one of the highlights of the campaign was the emergence of youngsters Drey Wright and Alex Gilbey.
Although Gilbey featured less for the U’s in his oversubscribed central midfield role, Wright eventually made a place in the matchday squad his own, starting numerous games and also netting three times too.
Gilbey would go on to play an instrumental role in Newport County’s return to the Football League, picking up Man of the Match awards in their play-off campaign and being a key performer in their Wembley final.
Both youngsters have continued to impress with their maturity and continued development this pre-season too, and Wright has been rewarded with a new three-year contract.
Having still only recently turned eighteen, the winger clearly has a bright future in the game and, backed by the tutelage of his father, former Premier League player Jermaine, he has the perfect foundation.
Last season was very much a baptism of fire for the duo, who were thrown into the middle of a relegation battle, but Drey told the official site that he would be better because of it.
‘I learned a lot from being in dressing rooms on highs and lows and we’re all stronger for it now,’ he admitted.
‘The experience will do me well for the future, and now I just want to play more and score more goals for the team.’
The move to tie the youngster down to an extended contract appears wise from the outside, with his impressive displays sure to attract attention before too long.
Ensuring the U’s would be in a strong position to command a good fee in such case, you would think that the next move on Dunne’s to-do list is to act similarly for Gilbey.
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