The 2014–15 Professional U21 Development League was the third season of the Professional Development League system.
League 1
League 1, referred to as the Barclays Under 21 Premier League for sponsorship reasons, was split into two divisions, with teams allocated places in Division 1 or 2 based on their performance in the 2013–14 season.
At the end of the season, the team which finished top of Division 1 was crowned as overall League 1 champions, with the previously used knock-out system being abandoned. The top 8 teams qualified for the 2015–16 edition of the Premier League International Cup and the bottom two teams in Division 1 were relegated to Division 2 for the 2015–16 season, with the top teams in Division 2 moved in the opposite direction.
Division 1 Table
Results
Division 2 Table
Results
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Ryan SeagerSouthampton U21s162 Adil NabiWest Bromwich Albion U21s14 Dominic SolankeChelsea U21s4 Adam ArmstrongNewcastle United U21s11 Duncan WatmoreSunderland U21s6 Alex IwobiArsenal U21s107 Chuba AkpomArsenal U21s98 Dominic SamuelReading U21s89 Ange-Freddy PlumainFulham U21s7
Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date Division Adam Armstrong Newcastle United U21sReading U21s 5–2 (H) Division 2 Chuba Akpom Arsenal U21sWest Bromwich Albion U21s 4–2 (H) Division 2 Adnan Januzaj Manchester United U21sSunderland U21s 4–0 (H) Division 1 Jamar Loza Norwich City U21sLeicester City U21s 5–0 (H) Division 1 Adil Nabi West Bromwich Albion U21sAston Villa U21s 4–1 (H) Division 2 Chuba Akpom Arsenal U21sBrighton & Hove Albion U21s 0–4 (A) Division 2 Dominic Samuel Reading U21sAston Villa U21s 1–5 (A) Division 2 Kemar Roofe West Bromwich Albion U21sReading U21s 5–0 (H) Division 2 Jose Tasende Manchester City EDSLeicester City U21s 4–2 (H) Division 1 Alex Iwobi Arsenal U21sStoke City U21s 4–1 (H) Division 2 Dominic Solanke Chelsea U21sLiverpool U21s 4–3 (H) Division 1 Josh Murphy Norwich City U21sLiverpool U21s 4–4 (A) Division 1 Note (H) – Home; (A) – Away 4 – player scored 4 goals
Awards Player of the season: Duncan Watmore (Sunderland)
Player of the month Month Player Club Ref February Ryan Seager Southampton U21s March Harry Panayiotou Leicester City U21s April Duncan Watmore Sunderland U21s
League 2
League 2, referred to as the Professional Development U21 League, is split into two regional divisions.
Teams will play each team in their own division twice, and each team in the other division once, for a total of 26 games for North division teams, and 27 games each for South division teams.
At the end of the season, the teams finishing in the top two positions of both divisions will meet in the knockout stage to determine the overall league champion.
19 Teams competed this season, 1 fewer than last season. Brighton & Hove Albion U21s joined the Premier League 2 as a Category One Academy alongside Derby County U21s on July 25 after 2 seasons apiece. Meanwhile, Colchester United U21s returned after a one season absence when they resecured their Category Two Academy status. League stage North Division table
South Division table
Results
Knock-out stage
Semifinals
Final
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Kenji GorreSwansea City U21s172 Jermaine UdumagaBrentford U21s13 Kyle De SilvaCrystal Palace U21s4 Brian MontenegroLeeds United U21s125 Reece Grego-Cox Queens Park Rangers U21s106 Danny JohnsonCardiff City U21s9 Callum SaundersCrewe Alexandra U21s Reece BrownBirmingham City U21s Connor Lemonheigh-EvansBristol City U21s10 Zak AnsahCharlton Athletic U21s8 Karlan Ahearne-GrantCharlton Athletic U21s George MarisBarnsley U21s Macauley BonneColchester United U21s Oliver BurkeNottingham Forest U21s
See also 2014–15 Professional U18 Development League 2014–15 FA Cup 2014–15 FA Youth Cup 2014–15 Premier League International Cup 2014–15 Under-21 Premier League Cup 2014–15 in English football
References