Halls signs pro deal
Teenage defender Oscar Halls becomes the latest Academy prospect to sign a professional deal at the club on his 17th birthday.
“It’s more than a dream come true – it’s unreal,” he said on signing.
“I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity and I cannot wait to try and earn my place in the first team squad now.”
The towering centre back joined the Greens as an under-10, attending the Cornwall Centre of Excellence.
Born in Penzance, he has shown an incredible amount of commitment to regularly make the four hour round trip to Plymouth to train three times a week.
He said, “My mum and dad were instrumental in getting us to places, getting me to training from Penzance.
“I am sure there were some nights when they didn’t want to do it but they kept persevering and kept me going.”
A former Mounts Bay Academy pupil, Oscar is yet to make his first team debut but has been involved in matchday squads, in the Papa John’s Trophy games with Newport County AFC and Arsenal under-21s.
He has also represented the Academy at the Super Cup (formally Milk Cup) in Northern Ireland on two occasions.
Oscar has played in all but one of the under-18 EFL Youth Alliance league matches this season, scoring once in the 2-1 win over AFC Bournemouth under-18s in August.
He is the second Academy graduate to sign a pro deal this season, following midfielder Will Jenkins-Davies.
And Will has been quite an inspiration for Oscar – he said, “Will is one of my close mates so it has been really nice to see him up and around it all.
“That is really where I want to be, in and around it, training and maybe making my league debut.
“It’s all small steps and I have to keep working hard and hopefully my time will come.”
Congratulations Oscar and happy birthday!
