Booty gets his chance to earn first team place
REGAN Booty has been handed a new Huddersfield Town contract – and a place in the first-team squad.
The 18-year-old midfielder skippered the then Under 21 (now Under 23) side to the Professional Development League title last season.
Now Holmfirth-based Booty, whose father Martyn is a former Town player and coach, has the chance to impress at senior level.
The new deal for a player who joined the club aged nine featured in the pre-season friendly against Liverpool at the John Smith’s Stadium runs until 2019.
Town have the option of adding a further year at that stage.
Left-footed Booty, who will still be available at Under 23 level, moves up and takes the No46 shirt after Ivan Paurevic’s departure to give Wagner five midfield options.
The others are Australian international Aaron Mooy, Jonathan Hogg, Dean Whitehead and Philip Billing.
Wagner explained: “Regan has trained with us on many occasions and was a part of the first-team group during pre-season.
“Now he makes the move into the senior group full-time.
“Regan has earned the opportunity to take the space in the central midfield area of the squad that Ivan Paurevic has left.
“He has good football intelligence, he works very hard, he is a good talent and has a lot of space to improve even more.
“Regan will move into the firstteam changing room and train with us every day as well as play games with the Under 23s.
“That is still important to his improvement.
“When we have a space in the squad, we always look to the academy first.
“If we think a player is good enough, he will get the opportunity – just as Regan is now and Philip Billing has before.
“I’m looking forward to working with him and helping him to get used to senior football during the next weeks and months.”
Martyn Booty, 45, made four Town appearances during the 2003/04 Division Three (now League Two) promotion campaign.
He made 396 senior appearances in a 15-year career which also took in Coventry City, Crewe Alexandra, Reading, Southend United and Chesterfield.