Rooney in line for League award

Stoke City forward Adam Rooney is on the shortlist for the Wickes Young Apprentice Award which recognises the best trainee in the Championship.
Rooney, 19, burst on to the scene at the end of last season, when he smashed three past relegated Brighton in a 5-1 win in only his second senior start.
This outstanding performance earned him a place in place in Potters’ history as the youngest player to score a hat-trick.
Rooney now has six first team appearances to his name, but the Republic of Ireland youth international is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

He told BBC Sport: ‘There is a lot of competition at the club.
‘There are a lot of good strikers so I’ve got to keep my head down, keep working and hopefully show what I can do.’

Rooney and the five others will find out who is the Wickes Young Apprentice on Sunday March 4 at the Football League Awards to be held in London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

The judges will be looking at various aspects of the apprentices’ careers to date, including discipline, education and attitude as well as their performances on the pitch. The winning player will win £5,000 for his club’s youth development programme, as well as holiday vouchers for himself. The second-placed player’s club will receive £3,000. The third-placed player’s club will receive £2,000. In each case the money goes into youth development initiatives.