The sun was shining at Wembley ahead of the 2018 FA Vase final. Paul Midgley was preparing for his final game as first-team coach at Stockton Town, a role he combined with his lead recruitment position at Sunderland's academy at the time, when a colleague turned to him. "How good is this Paul?" he said. "We never dreamed we would be able to achieve anything like this."
Yet Midgley's career has only gone from strength to strength since then. Having served as head of national academy recruitment at Leeds United and as northern UK scouting manager at Man City, Midgley has now been appointed as Newcastle United's new head of youth recruitment.
It caps a remarkable rise for the 34-year-old, who will play his own significant role in Newcastle's future. Youth development, after all, is a huge passion of sporting director Dan Ashworth and investing in the academy could potentially help Newcastle save millions in the long run as the Magpies bid to become a more sustainable club who produce their own players. Smart recruitment at this level will be crucial when Financial Fair Play regulations limit what Newcastle can spend on transfers so Midgley's expertise will be needed.
