TWO key performers in the double-winning Queen’s Park under-17s squad have signed their first professional contracts with the club.
Caiden Wright and Lewis Smith will step up to the under-19s this season after pledging their full-time future to the Spiders.
Smith was skipper as Lee Mitchell’s 17s won the league and CAS Cup double last season. His team-mate Wright played for both the 17s and 19s – and both teams earned two trophies each.
Now, they’ll work regularly under Charley King for the under-19s and the coach was delighted both had signed on – and insisted they each deserve their new deals.
Charley said: “Lewis came into the Academy from Rangers two years ago and has shown good leadership qualities.
“He was captain for the league and cup-winning under-17s and he’ll captain the under-19s this year.
As a left-footed centre-back he’s very comfortable on the ball and we’ll look forward to developing him further against a higher level of opposition and working on his concentration.
“I’m happy for him and he deserves it.
“Caiden is another who really deserves his contract. He has been with the club a long time and over the past seven years he’s played a number of positions but he’s now settled in the middle as an all-round, box to box midfielder.
“He is a player with a really good attitude and his development over the last few years with us has meant he was one of the stand-outs at 17s but also at 19s.
“Again we are looking forward to having him in that set-up regularly and we’re really happy with how he’s done.”
Joining Smith and Wright in the under-19s will be Marcel Kreminski, Aaron Browne, Cole Divers, Lennox Quail, Valentino Taouss, Joe Lafferty, Oli Preston, Luke Moore, Grant Kerr, Logan Duffy, Caiden Adams, Anthony Doyle and Alex Eguagie who have all agreed amateur terms for the season ahead.
In the under-17s, Charlie Watt, Kai Stevenson, Joe Lafferty
and Jack Young are back.
They’ll be joined by the arrival of Mason Dowds, Brodie Adniana, Mason Ekenechukwu, Angus McFarlane, Oliver Goral, Aidan O’Reilly, Johnny McMichael, Cole Pryde, Lucas Wilkie, Jay Creelman and Lucas Toland.
