Dundee kid Ally Graham has been catching the eye of big English clubs.
The highly-rated 15-year-old has already featured for the Dark Blues’ U/18 side and has become a regular in the Scotland youth setup.
The goalkeeper’s latest call-up will see him join the national U/16 side in Cyprus for a development tournament, facing Romania, Cyprus and Norway.
“Ally has been involved with that squad now for about a year,” said Dundee’s head of academy, Stephen Wright.
“He had a recent game against Australia in Glasgow and has now been announced for the Development Tournament in Cyprus.
“It’s fantastic for him.
“He’s been playing U/18s football as well despite only being 15.
“Ally is a massive Dundee fan and so are his family so it’s great to see him in come in and train with (first-team goalkeeping coach) Alan Combe during the day with the first-team goalkeepers.
“He’s been around the first-team and that’s a dream for him. It’s a difficult position to try to break through at any level but it’s great credit to him to get the international recognition.
“We’re in the second tier of the club academy setup but Ally’s call-ups show that doesn’t matter when it comes to Scotland recognition or making first-team debuts at a club like Dundee.
“It’s a great advert for the work we do here.”
English interest
Whether Graham is still at Dundee when he comes of age as a senior pro remains to be seen.
He’s been to train with English Championship side Southampton more than once and has also caught the eye of a Premier League outfit.
“He has been down to Southampton and has gone to Newcastle as well, they are keeping an eye on him,” Wright added.
“He’s been down for a week at a time training.
“Ally has done well but he’s still young and still at school. That’s great experience.”
Academy growth
Meanwhile, the Dundee academy setup continues to grow.
The partnership with St John’s High School will welcome the fourth year group of talented Dundee youth players in the autumn.
And the new setup as a CIC (Community Interest Company) is expected to bring long-term benefits.
In the short term, academy kids are continuing to make the breakthrough at senior level.
First-team boss Tony Docherty has used seven academy graduates this season and the club recently announced development team contracts for youngsters Finlay Allan, Sebastian Lochhead and Josh Mitchell.
“We’re seeing a few players stepping up age groups,” Wright added.
“Scott Robertson’s U/18s are quite young now because we have quite a few players out on loan.
“And it’s been good to see some of the boys getting contracts.
“Josh and Sebastian have been in the academy since nine or 10-years-old so we get great satisfaction from seeing them do so well and get professional contracts.
“That’s what makes the job worthwhile.
“It’s great to see these boys get recognition and get contracts – now it’s about seeing who the next ones are.”
Finlay Allan ‘showing what he is capable of’
Allan, meanwhile, is currently out on loan at Forfar Athletic where he made his senior debut in a 2-2 draw at Dumbarton earlier this month.
He followed that up with his first start, playing 86 minutes in a 3-3 draw against Peterhead. He was replaced by a former Dundee youngster Josh Skelly. And played 90 minutes in a 2-0 win at Clyde on Tuesday.
Wright revealed he’s had a long relationship with Allan and his family stretching back to his time in the youth setup at Dunfermline.
“I signed Finlay when he was 10 years old at Dunfermline,” Wright added.
“He’s a Fife lad and was at Dunfermline for a few years.
“When I got the job at Dundee, his parents contacted me to see if he could come here because he’d left Dunfermline at that point.
“We got him in at U/14 so I’ve had a relationship with Finlay and his family for years. It’s great to see him now get a new contract.
“He’s out on loan at Forfar now. He’s maybe a bit young for that level but that just shows what he is capable of.”
Club legend Barry Smith
There are plenty with bright futures at Dundee and they will have the chance to pick the brains of one of the greats of the past.
Club legend Barry Smith is to return to the academy setup after his time with Canadian side York United ended.
Smith played 433 times for the club, only Doug Cowie and Bobby Cox have ever played more, and managed the club for over 100 games between 2010 and 2013.
“Barry is going to come in and work with us. It’s great to have Barry back, he’s worked in the academy before,” Wright added.
“Former Dundee manager and club legend, it’s great to have him pass on some of his wisdom to the players.
“He has a lot to offer.”
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