NEWPORT COUNTY AFC

Newport County AFC are delighted to announce that three scholars from the Academy have today agreed to sign professional contracts with the Club.

Lewis Bamford, Dafydd Jones and Ben Jones (brother of County defender Darren Jones) have all accepted offers of a six-month professional contract that will see the trio make the progression from the Academy to the first-team setup. This comes following the progression of Liam Angel to the first team after signing a professional contract in February 2016.

Academy Manager, Byron Anthony, said, "It is always nice when players progress through the Academy to become professionals."

"The three players in question have done extremely well over the past two years and they have earnt the right to become pro's and show what they can do at the next level."

"For the Academy it is great to see players coming through the system and it's great for the younger players as they can see that there are opportunities here for players to progress."

"Dafydd Jones has impressed in a number of games this year, he's got a silky left-foot which I'm sure we will see out on the pitch at Rodney Parade in the near future."

"Lewis Bamford is a hard-working midfielder, who likes to get box-to-box and do the nitty-gritty bits in the heart of midfield."

"Ben Jones has come a long way since he has come to us. Ben is a Newport boy and he is a physical defender, who is very good in one-on-one situations."

Manager, Warren Feeney, added, "I'm big into bringing younger players through into the first-team."

"Attitude is a massive part of the progression for a young player. If you look at the players who have come through the youth setup here, like Aaron Collins and Regan Poole, those players have set the benchmark for the younger players."

"It's a big opportunity for three that have signed and I want them to go and express themselves."

Below is the full list of players retained by the Academy for the 2016/17 season;

Lewis Bamford – Retained Pro

Andrew Evans – Retained Scholar

Ben Jones – Retained Pro

Dafydd Jones – Retained Pro

Rhys Kavanagh – Retained Scholar

Dion Molyneux – Retained Scholar

Cairan Smith – Retained Scholar

Kyron Tolland – Retained Scholar

Finlay Wood – Retained Scholar

Jake Young – Retained Scholar

They will join the new intake of Scholars who have agreed to join the club, as follows;

Jay Williams

Joe Hunt

Joshua Williams

Liam Warman

Michael Cook

Momodou Touray

Rhys Davies

Tom Savigar

Whilst the Club can also confirm the following releases at the end of the current season;

Nyall Gray

Connah Hughes

Samuel James

Nathan Mathias

Cedrick Mpadi

Corey Shephard

Harry Waterhouse

Ellis Redman

The Club would like to thank them all for their efforts during their time with us and wish them all the best for their future within the game.