- 10 of Aston Villa’s loanees were in action across the weekend
- Three players were on the scoresheet
It was another productive weekend for Aston Villa’s developmental squad, with ten loanees featuring across England, Scotland, and Austria from April 10th to 12th.
As the 2025/26 campaign enters its final stretch, these youngsters are making a decisive push to impress Unai Emery and secure their futures at Villa Park.
Let’s take a look at how they all got on:
Dobbin stars once again in the Championship
Lewis Dobbin left winger currently on loan at Preston North North End was once again the difference maker for Preston, as they beat Charlton 2-1 away from home in the Championship. His goal and assist now take his tally to sixteen goal contributions in England’s second tier this season.
The 23-year-old equalised in the 25th minute with a neatly flicked header into the far corner from a cross. Then, in the 65th minute, he drove forward from inside his own half, in a three-on-two counter-attack, and laid it off to Brad Potts, who found the back of the net. The Lilywhites are now unbeaten in four consecutive games.
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba who is also currently on loan in the Championship was an unused sub for West Brom in their 0-0 stalemate with Millwall. After some ineffective performances in the last few matches, the youngster has some work to do to break back into the starting XI.
League One
Kadan Young was the only loanee to feature in League One this weekend, as Josh Feeney will likely miss the remainder of the season through injury.
The centre-back had to pull out of the warm-up in Huddersfield’s game against Leyton Orient last Monday. He has now returned to Villa for treatment.
Young was on the left wing for Reading in their 1-0 defeat to Doncaster. He was taken off at half-time, despite looking sharp. It was the England U-20 international’s first start since February 21st.
O’Reilly’s goal not enough for Crewe in League Two
Tommi O’Reilly’s late penalty wasn’t enough for Crewe to make a comeback against Grimsby Town. After going down 3-0 just before the hour mark, they were awarded a spot kick in the 88th minute, which O’Reilly tucked away.
A second goal was then scored in the 97th minute, but the Railwaymen weren’t able to turn around the deficit.
It was the 22-year-old’s seventh goal of the season in League Two, to go along with his eleven assists in 43 appearances.
Meanwhile, Sil Swinkels continued his good performances for Chesterfield in their 1-1 draw with Tranmere. The Dutchman made twelve defensive contributions and had the second most passes in the match.
Aidan Borland’s Swindon were hammered 3-0 by Colchester United. A red card in the 29th minute made life very difficult for Ian Holloway’s side. The young Scot was withdrawn in the 59th minute after a persistent onslaught by Colchester.
Broggio shines in Scotland, as Wilson makes an appearance
Ben Boggio scored yet again for Falkirk to make it two in two games. Despite going 2-0 up at home, the Scottish side was then dismantled by Rangers, who ended the match winning 3-6.
The 19-year-old, who is one of Villa’s brightest youth prospects, has made a fantastic impact since moving to Falkirk in January. He now has four goals and one assist in nine Premiership appearances.
Elsewhere, Rory Wilson featured for just the second time for Sturm Graz in the Austrian Bundesliga. He came on in the 86th minute, unable to score the winner in a 0-0 draw with Hartberg.
Despite going on loan on Deadline Day in the winter transfer window, Wilson has only made three appearances, two for the first team and one for their second side. It will be very disappointing if he doesn’t get the opportunity to start a run of games.
Finally, Louie Barry made a five-minute cameo for Stockport County in their 3-1 loss to Luton in the EFL Trophy Final at Wembley. Having faced a lengthy period on the sidelines, it was the Englishman’s second game since October last year, when he was on loan at Sheffield United at the time.
Now in his third stint at the Hatters, Barry will be hoping he can regain the form he found in the first two spells.
The summer outlook
With the summer transfer window approaching, the stakes couldn’t be higher. For players like Lewis Dobbin, these final games are an opportunity to maintain their market value ahead of potential permanent moves.
For the academy graduates like Ben Broggio and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, it is about proving they can handle the “Emery Standard” as Villa looks to integrate more youth into their European-chasing squad for the 2026/27 season.
