Matt Kendrick, the second featured CRC youngster of the season, is certainly a player with a bright future to match his already successful past.
Proud Welshman Matt represented his country in 2004 at under-16 level in a team captained by former-U Ryan Moon, and he lists his appearances for Wales in the Victory Shield (Under 16 Home Nations tournament) as one of his best moments so far in football.
Matt was introduced as a substitute in matches against rivals Scotland and Northern Ireland - to good effect. His presence 'shored up' the defence as Wales recorded a narrow victory and an unfortunate defeat, although the team did not concede while Matt was on the pitch. It is clear Matt is a very capable individual and has a good deal of experience of competitive football, which should prove crucial in the Ridgeons League and invaluable for the younger scholars.
Another of his career highlights so far is "playing for Manchester United for 6 years". That's right, Matt cut his teeth with the Manchester club, and we're sure his footballing education at Old Trafford will stand him in good stead for the coming season and for the future. Many of the scholars have come to Cambridge from the youth academies of professional clubs, which provides the players with an ideal head start to life in the Ridgeons League, and this education has certainly been evident in Matt's performances so far this term.
'Kendo', as his pals know him, started 6 out of the first 7 fixtures, including the team's inaugural victory against King's Lynn Reserves. In fact it was Matt's long throw that caught out the Lynn defence and resulted in a winning own goal. This has undoubtedly been a feature of his play this season, as well as his marauding runs up the right flank - Matt prides himself on "getting forward", not to mention "tackling and encouraging others."
Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing the CRC team will have noticed the effective link-play between midfield and defence, and this is something that Matt has worked on developing with regular right-winger Robbie Willmott, yielding effective results. Already this season, a number of the goals have come from effective wing play and this trend is likely to continue as the lads become more used to the league and their team-mates.
It is no surprise to learn that the footballer Matt admires most is former Manchester United and Ireland legend Roy Keane. And perhaps one day Red Devils fan Kendo will emulate his hero and achieve his goals of "earning a professional contract at Cambridge" before "making a living out of the game at the highest level possible." Well, we hope Matt will be playing at the highest level with this United rather than our Manchester relative.
As well as Keane, 17-year-old Matt will surely be aiming to follow in the footsteps off fellow precocious Welsh talent Adam Davies. 'Digger' is an Under-21 regular for Wales and Matt holds similar ambitions, and his international experience and coaching here with the Cambridge United Youth Development Scheme and the first-team players and coaches will stand him in good stead to fulfil his ambitions.
Golf-loving Matt is a native of Connah's Quay in North Wales so he is living a long distance from home. With that in mind, let's hope Cambridge fans can make him feel welcome, as Matt and the CRC team strive for success this season.
We wish Matt all the best for this year and many more, in the colours of Cambridge United.
By Henry Milward
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