We are delighted to announce that three promising youth academy graduates, Jay Burns, Lewis Gibson and Ben Johnstone, have signed professional contracts to be a part of the first team squad. A huge thanks to the Tanner Fund who have given the club £30,000 towards this initiative. The boys, aged 16 and 17, will now train and learn their trade with the first team on a daily basis and are bound to benefit enormously from this.
At the same time we are equally delighted to announce that, with support again from the Barflies, two other young local talents, Dom McMahon and Ryan Muir have also extended their contracts with the club for a further year following successful loan spells with Dalbeattie Star. They join Charlie Cowie, who was already contracted for next season. We are also very grateful to the Barflies for all their assistance in this area.
Queens Chairman Billy Hewitson said, "First of all thank you to the Tanner Fund and all that have donated over the past couple of seasons. The football club has always strived to have young local talent coming through the ranks and this funding allows youngsters a great opportunity to develop into what we hope is first team players. We've had a long term partnership with the Barflies in a similar manner and we are also delighted that, after a difficult time in fundraising during the Covid pandemic, they are back and working with us again. I would like to thank Andy Irving and his youth coaches who have worked with the boys to bring them up to a standard that first team management can work with and wish the boys every success. Including Charlie, we now have 6 young local players up with the first team and will work to give the young players opportunities to be successful for the club".
Tanner Fund Chairman Richie Nicoll said, "When the club approached the Tanner Fund committee regarding the up-and-coming boys it was an easy decision for us. We all wish to see young local players playing and hopefully these boys can utilise this opportunity and, in the future, we can see the young players become first team players".
Queens Manager, Wullie Gibson, had this to say, "Thanks go to the Tanner Fund for this contribution. As a product of our youth academy myself, I can appreciate all the hard work that the boys, the youth coaches, and the club put into producing players good enough to make the step up to first team football. This now allows us an improved pathway to bridge that gap. The 3 boys now have a great opportunity to learn and develop in a first team environment. The boys have demonstrated with the u18's and Reserves that they have ability, we now need to develop that further. It's also great to get Dom and Ryan signed up for the coming season with support from the Barflies. Both have promise and demonstrated their abilities with their loan spell at Dalbeattie and I look forward to them kicking on this season".
Jay Burns
Lewis Gibson
Ben Johnstone