Aston Villa summer transfer departure wins Golden Boot in top division as treble beckons

A former Aston Villa striker that departed the club last summer has ended up winning the Golden Boot of a top-flight league.

Brad Young was one of 11 players to be released from their contracts last summer. Young had been at Villa seven years after joining from West Brom but was released after one senior appearance, which came in the FA Cup when they had been forced to play their under-21 team against Liverpool.

The 21-year-old landed at Welsh club The New Saints in September and has ended up winning the Golden Boot in the Cymru Premier, which is the top flight of football in Wales. He scored 22 goals in 25 matches, averaging a goal every 88 minutes. 

Young has won silverware in his first season since leaving Villa. He won the Nathaniel MG Cup, which is Wales’ equivalent of the Carabao Cup in January and then lifted the league title in March. TNS finished a whole 33-points above second-placed Connah’s Quay and went the entire season unbeaten. As a result of their title win, they will play in the early qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League.

His campaign will conclude next Sunday (April 28) when TNS play Connah’s Quay in the final of the Welsh Cup at Newport County’s Rodney Parade. TNS have won the last three editions and have avoided defeat against the Nomads in their 13 meetings. Young could have won a quadruple however The New Saints suffered a 2-1 defeat to Airdrieonians in the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup. To date,  Young has got 29 goals in 35 games in all competitions. 

His form in Wales has caught the attention of several professional clubs. Football Insider claimed in February that Hearts, Rotherham United and Augsburg had all been making regular checks on Young. Commenting on his time with Villa, Young said: “I knew about being released, three months before the end of the season.

“It was difficult but everything happens for a reason, that’s what I believe in. “It was the right move to get me into the real world instead of relying on Villa.”