A look at City's record-breaking four PL2 titles

Yahoo

2 days ago

Earlier this month, Ben Wilkinson's Elite Development Squad etched the Academy's name in the history book by becoming the first club to win four Premier League 2 titles.
And not just a record-breaking four, but four trophy lifts in five seasons, which included a recent restructuring of the competition's format.
Advertisement
To mark this moment in the Club's history, we take a look back on the four titles and what makes each one special…
2020/21 – THE FIRST OF FOUR
In the old format of the Premier League 2, the champion was decided after 24 Gameweeks. City's closest race for the title dated back to 2016/17 when we finished second behind Everton.
But in 2020/21, our first title win, City cruised to the title in outstanding fashion, securing the league summit with two games left to play.
Our young boys in blue won 17, drew five and lost two games to total 56 points en route to the trophy. City boasted a goal difference of 49 thanks to our 79 strikes versus 30 conceded.
Advertisement
WATCH: Crowning glory for City's EDS
Aged 18, Liam Delap scored an impressive 24 goals in 20 appearances, which would see him earn the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award when the curtain fell on the campaign.
Tommy Doyle topped the assist chart with 10 in 18 matches, with Cole Palmer also tallying impressive numbers at 19 years old. He scored 13 and assisted six in 16 games.
In his debut season in charge, Enzo Maresca's EDS side went on a 17-game unbeaten run to complete the season as City leapfrogged Liverpool, Chelsea and Derby County after a tight start to the campaign.
And this campaign's success would be the catalyst for more to come…
2021/22 – BACK-TO-BACK
Looking to defend the title for the first time in the Club's history, the team undoubtedly rose to the occasion.
Advertisement
Also, in his debut campaign as EDS Lead Coach, Brian Barry-Murphy led the squad to City's second PL2 title.
With 16 wins, six draws and four defeats, our young boys in blue topped the table with 54 points with second-place West Ham totalling 48.
WATCH: Watch City's EDS squad lift the PL2 trophy!
Leading the way for City in front of goal was James McAtee who bagged 18 in 23 games.
And Oscar Bobb totalled the second highest number of assists in the league, teeing up his team-mates 10 times in 26 appearances.
Goalkeepers Cieran Slicker and Mikki van Sas helped City remain solid at the back as they kept five and four respective clean sheets.
Advertisement
What perhaps made this title win so special was the togetherness of the squad, with every player leaving their mark on the trophy lift. 24 players scored or assisted in City's second PL2 triumph.
2022/23 – HISTORIC THREE-PEAT
In the final campaign of the previous PL2 format, City claimed the title for a third successive season, becoming the first Club to achieve the feat.
And Barry-Murphy also became the first City coach to win two Premier League 2 titles.
Another young squad was ready to take centre stage and find ways in which to better the previous two seasons, if at all possible.
They broke City's previous record tally, reaching 59 points from 18 wins, five draws and three defeats.
Advertisement
Our EDS scored a staggering 80 goals in 26 games, averaging three per game, and conceded just 31 for a goal difference of 49.
Carlos Forbs couldn't stop scoring goals, completing the campaign with 21 in 24 appearances. And wasn't shy of teeing up his team-mates too with 11 assists to boast 32 goal involvements.
At 18 years old, Adedire Mebude also enjoyed finding the back of the opposition's net, scoring 11 goals as he featured in every PL2 game. He also totalled 13 assists, but topping the chart was Oscar Bobb in his second season with the EDS with 16.
Mikki van Sas was once again a formidable force in goal, keeping seven clean sheets from 15 games, all vital as City closed in on the third title.
Advertisement
Whilst silverware isn't at the top of the priority list, the environment of pushing for a historic title and being chased by talented teams just below created a vital learning experience for our young boys in blue.
And they did hold their nerve, lifting the title in April 2023 to be the final team to win the PL2 in its old format.
2024/25 – REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
Debut seasons for Lead Coaches continue to show a positive success rate. In his first campaign in charge of the EDS, Wilkinson led our young boys in blue to the record-breaking fourth title earlier this month.
After a season of adjusting to the new PL2 format, City's squad, whilst still the youngest in the competition, was ever so slightly older and more mature than the campaign prior.
Advertisement
WATCH: Watch: City EDS lift the Premier League 2 trophy!
And that proved a key part in our journey to success with Wilkinson's side showing resilience on a handful of occasions, clawing back 10 points from losing positions in the league phase.
For the first part of the season, City led the charge for the league title, winning 15 games out of 20 to set a new points record of 47.
Our boys in blue found the back of the net 61 times, with Divin Mubama bagging the most (11), to average just over three a game.
At the other end of the pitch, City were also just as strong. Wilkinson's squad conceded just 23 and totalled seven clean sheets to boast more impressive numbers.
Advertisement
Helping City shut out our opponents was Jahmai Simpson-Pusey who was named the PL2 Player of the Season, following in the footsteps
In the new format, City then progressed to the play-offs for the first time since the competition's restructure. And it was no easy route to further silverware.
An extra-time win over Liverpool was followed by another extra-time win over Arsenal. One step away from the final City welcomed our rivals Manchester United to the Joie Stadium.
A comfortable 2-0 win saw us progress where we faced Southampton in the last game of the season. And another 2-0 win completed a fantastic season for the EDS as we became PL2 champions.