TUTIEROV'S BREAKOUT YEAR?

Having spent the second half of last season out on loan at Exeter City, Timur Tutierov

started at York on Saturday, scoring a great goal cutting in from the left, and has now been

rewarded with a new contract at the club. So, the question is will Timur have a part to play

this season?

In the last couple of seasons, the club has been given a lot of credit for the approach it has

taken with young players, giving them a platform to showcase their talent at first team level.

However, a side from Chris Rigg and Tommy Watson, none of our actual academy products

seem to have had a look in. Harrison Jones got a handful of games and others have filled the bench but especially in the last two years, none have really been given that chance to play regularly.

That could very well be down to the fact they just weren’t good enough for the level and

that is fine, but for a club that prides itself on its category one academy, it has lacked a

breakthrough talent in the last couple of seasons. That may be about to change though,

with Timur Tutierov benefitting from World Cup absentees to start the game at the LNER

Stadium at the weekend. He impressed with a goal and looked very direct, the sort of

mentality we have lacked at times on the wing recently. By no means am I saying Timur has

put himself in with a shout of becoming our first choice left winger, but in a season where

we could end up playing around 50 games should we do well in Europe and in the domestic cups, he may be a player that gets himself some opportunities.

He was brought to the club in 2023 from Ukrainian side Kolos Kovalivka and has been in the

under 21s set up ever since. After a solid pre-season last year as well as a good start in the

Premier League 2, League One side Exeter City brought him in to help battle against

relegation.

He scored two in his first two games and was an instant hit down in Devon but he was

mainly used as an impact sub, starting just seven of his 17 appearances at St James Park (no not that one) scoring three times and assisting once. Exeter were relegated and Tutierov

can’t really be blamed for that.

There were suggestions earlier in the summer that he may end up being moved on but he

seems to have impressed the right people and with a new contract and interestingly a

statement from Florent Ghisolfi as apposed to somebody in the academy suggests Timur

could well have a future at senior level.

With 12 subs allowed in the Europa League, he may get his chance in that as Le Bris will

need to manage the workload of his squad.

Although only a pre-season game, his performance on Saturday was a positive one and it is

always nice to see lads who come through the academy get a shot in the first team. We will

have to see what sort of role he will play going forward but a contract extension shows the

club see something in the Ukrainian that is worth sticking with.