A young forward from Northern Ireland, hopes were high that Liam Smyth would be the latest Academy graduate when he burst through the ranks in 2018. His first team Boro’ debut didn’t come in happy circumstances, but it was still a joyous marker on his rise to the top. By the time he was making his first team debut for us, however, he was already featuring regularly in our Academy side.

He was also well in the Northern Irish frame too. After being invited to the nation’s U19s training camp in early 2018, he got his first call-up in September that year.

Smyth became a regular on the bench as the 2018-9 season entered its final straight; a total of 17 times he featured in our matchday squad. Going into the 2019-20 campaign, would it be the real breakthrough year for the Northern Irishman? Not quite. But it was a hard season in more ways than one. And the fact that Alex Revell opted to keep hold of him as 22 players left the club in summer 2020 speaks volumes. Now the hope is that – whether with us or out on loan – his game continues to develop. And, with it, the chance for the lad to stake a real claim for a first team spot.