2016–17 Professional U23 Development League

The 2016–17 Professional U23 Development League was the fifth season of the Professional Development League system, and the first since the age limit was raised from under-21 to under-23.

League 1

Premier League 2
Season2016–17
ChampionsDivision 1
Everton U23s (1st Title)
Division 2
Swansea City U23s (1st Title)
PromotedSwansea City U23s
West Ham United U23s
RelegatedReading U23s
Southampton U23s
Matches267
(264 RS, 3 PO)
Goals813 (3.04 per match)
(805 RS, 8 PO)
Best Player Oliver McBurnie Swansea City U23s
Top goalscorer
Overall
Donovan Wilson Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s (13 Goals)
Division 1
Harry Wilson Liverpool U23s (12 Goals)
Division 2
Donovan Wilson Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s (13 Goals)
Biggest home winLeicester City U23s 5–0 Derby County U23s
(18 November 2016)
Biggest away winArsenal U23s 0–5 Everton U23s
(19 September 2016)
Highest scoringReading U23s 3–6 Everton U23s
(17 October 2016)
Longest winning run9 Matches Swansea City U23s
Longest unbeaten run10 Matches Manchester City EDS
Longest winless run12 Matches Middlesbrough U23s
Longest losing run6 Matches Middlesbrough U23s
Highest attendance17,525 Everton U23s 1–2 Liverpool U23s
(8 May 2017)
Lowest attendance52 Stoke City U23s 2–4 Aston Villa U23s
(26 November 2016)

Premier League 2 (previously the Under 21 Premier League) was the fifth season of the competition since its introduction in 2012, and the first since being changed from an under-21 league to under-23.

The league was split into two divisions, with teams allocated places in Division 1 or 2 based on their performance in the 2015–16 season.

At the end of the season, the team which finished top of Division 1 was crowned as overall champions, and the bottom two teams in Division 1 will be relegated to Division 2 for the 2017–18 season.

Division 1

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
1 Everton U23s (C) 22 15 3 4 48 21 +27 48
2 Manchester City EDS 22 13 6 3 54 33 +21 45
3 Liverpool U23s 22 13 4 5 47 27 +20 43
4 Arsenal U23s 22 10 3 9 40 32 +8 33
5 Chelsea U23s 22 7 9 6 40 32 +8 30
6 Manchester United U23s 22 6 8 8 29 38 −9 26
7 Sunderland U23s 22 6 7 9 27 37 −10 25
8 Derby County U23s 22 6 6 10 31 42 −11 24
9 Leicester City U23s 22 5 8 9 31 42 −11 23
10 Tottenham Hotspur U23s 22 6 4 12 33 44 −11 22
11 Reading U23s (R) 22 6 4 12 36 56 −20 22 Relegation to Division 2
12 Southampton U23s (R) 22 5 6 11 28 40 −12 21
Updated to match(es) played on 15 May 2017. Source: [1]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Results

Home \ Away ARS CHE DER EVE LEI LIV MNC MNU REA SOT SUN TOT
Arsenal U23s 4–1 2–1 0–5 3–0 1–3 3–3 2–2 0–2 0–0 4–0 2–0
Chelsea U23s 1–2 2–2 2–2 0–0 4–1 3–4 3–1 2–0 3–2 3–0 3–1
Derby County U23s 1–3 2–1 2–3 0–0 0–0 2–3 5–3 2–1 2–0 0–0 1–2
Everton U23s 1–0 1–1 2–0 4–1 1–2 1–0 2–0 3–0 2–0 0–1 4–1
Leicester City U23s 2–1 0–4 5–0 1–4 1–3 3–3 0–0 3–2 0–2 2–3 2–0
Liverpool U23s 3–2 2–0 1–2 2–0 4–0 3–2 0–1 2–0 1–4 3–0 3–2
Manchester City EDS 1–0 2–2 4–1 3–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 4–2 4–1 2–2
Manchester United U23s 1–0 1–1 3–2 1–3 1–0 1–1 1–3 0–2 3–3 0–2 3–2
Reading U23s 2–5 2–1 3–3 3–6 2–2 1–5 3–2 2–2 4–2 3–2 1–4
Southampton U23s 1–3 0–0 0–1 1–1 2–2 2–2 0–3 2–0 3–1 0–2 1–0
Sunderland U23s 2–1 1–1 2–2 0–1 2–2 0–0 2–4 1–3 1–1 3–0 2–2
Tottenham Hotspur U23s 0–2 2–2 2–0 0–2 1–4 2–6 1–2 1–1 4–0 3–1 1–0
Source: Premier League 2 Division 1 results
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Division 2

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification
1 Swansea City U23s (P) 22 17 1 4 43 22 +21 52 Promotion to Division 1
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s 22 12 5 5 42 30 +12 41 Qualification for Play-offs
3 Newcastle United U23s 22 11 4 7 34 30 +4 37
4 Fulham U23s 22 10 3 9 39 33 +6 33
5 West Ham United U23s (P) 22 9 6 7 32 26 +6 33
6 Blackburn Rovers U23s 22 9 5 8 24 28 −4 32
7 Aston Villa U23s 22 8 6 8 34 32 +2 30
8 Brighton & Hove Albion U23s 22 7 7 8 20 22 −2 28
9 West Bromwich Albion U23s 22 6 4 12 25 33 −8 22
10 Middlesbrough U23s 22 5 6 11 25 34 −9 21
11 Stoke City U23s 22 4 8 10 25 36 −11 20
12 Norwich City U23s 22 4 5 13 18 35 −17 17
Updated to match(es) played on 24 April 2017. Source: [2]
(P) Promoted

Results

Home \ Away AST BLB B&H FUL MID NEW NOR STO SWA WBA WHU WOL
Aston Villa U23s 4–0 2–0 3–3 0–0 4–0 1–2 0–2 1–2 2–5 2–0 0–1
Blackburn Rovers U23s 0–0 2–0 3–2 0–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 2–1 3–2
Brighton & Hove Albion U23s 1–1 0–0 1–0 4–2 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 3–0 2–1
Fulham U23s 3–0 1–0 4–0 1–0 2–1 0–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 4–1 1–4
Middlesbrough U23s 1–2 4–1 0–0 1–4 0–2 2–2 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–1 0–1
Newcastle United U23s 4–2 1–2 1–0 3–1 2–0 1–2 1–1 3–2 1–1 0–0 0–0
Norwich City U23s 0–1 1–3 0–0 2–2 1–2 0–3 0–1 0–2 2–1 0–2 0–1
Stoke City U23s 2–4 0–1 1–1 1–2 3–1 2–3 1–1 1–4 2–1 0–3 1–1
Swansea City U23s 2–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 3–2 3–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 2–2
West Bromwich Albion U23s 3–3 1–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 0–1 2–1 2–1 0–1 0–4 0–1
West Ham United U23s 0–0 1–1 0–0 2–0 1–3 3–1 2–1 1–1 2–3 2–1 2–2
Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s 1–2 3–0 2–1 4–3 2–1 4–1 3–1 1–1 3–4 3–1 0–4
Source: Premier League 2 Division 2 results
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Play-offs

Semifinals Final
      
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s 1
5 West Ham United U23s 2
3 Newcastle United U23s 1
5 West Ham United U23s 2
3 Newcastle United U23s 2
4 Fulham U23s 0

Semifinals

Newcastle United U23s2–0Fulham U23s
  • Holmes 6'
  • Findlay 35'
 Report
Attendance: 437
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s1–2West Ham United U23s
 Report
Attendance: 772
Referee: Joseph Johnson

Final

Newcastle United U23s1–2West Ham United U23s
 Report
Attendance: 1,824
Referee: Tom Nield

Top goalscorers

As of 16 May 2017
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Donovan Wilson Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s 13
2 Stephen Humphrys Fulham U23s 12
Toni Martínez West Ham United U23s
Harry Wilson Liverpool U23s
5 Oliver McBurnie Swansea City U23s 11
Paolo Fernandes Manchester City EDS
Ike Ugbo Chelsea U23s
8 Lukas Nmecha Manchester City EDS 9
9 Josh Harrop Manchester United U23s 8
Andrija Novakovich Everton U23s
George Williams Fulham U23s
Ben Woodburn Liverpool U23s
13 Oumar Niasse Everton U23s 7
Harry Charsley Everton U23s
Charles Vernam Derby County U23s
Shayon Harrison Tottenham Hotspur U23s
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy Aston Villa U23s
Brahim Diaz Manchester City EDS
Julien Ngoy Stoke City U23s
Olufela Olomola Southampton U23s

Hat-tricks

As of 16 May 2017
Player For Against Result Date Division Ref.
Libor Kozak Aston Villa U23s Newcastle United U23s 4–0 (H) 29 August 2016 Division 2 [3]
Donovan Wilson Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s Newcastle United U23s 4–1 (H) 14 October 2016 Division 2 [4]
Oumar Niasse Everton U23s Reading U23s 3–6 (A) 17 October 2016 Division 1 [5]
Stephen Humphrys Fulham U23s Middlesbrough U23s 1–4 (A) 18 November 2016 Division 2
Edward Nketiah Arsenal U23s Leicester City U23s 3–0 (H) 28 November 2016 Division 1 [6]
Toni Martínez West Ham United U23s Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s 0–4 (A) 19 December 2016 Division 2 [7]
Oliver McBurnie Swansea City U23s Newcastle United U23s 3–1 (H) 16 January 2017 Division 2 [8]
Brahim Diaz Manchester City EDS Chelsea U23s 3–4 (A) 18 February 2017 Division 1 [9]
Mikael Soisalo Middlesbrough U23s Blackburn Rovers U23s 4–1 (H) 13 March 2017 Division 2 [10]
Yaya Sanogo Arsenal U23s Reading U23s 2–5 (A) 10 April 2017 Division 1 [11]
Josh Harrop Manchester United U23s Tottenham Hotspur U23s 2–5 (A) 15 May 2017 Division 1 [12]
Note

(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals

Awards

Player of the Year: Oliver McBurnie (Swansea City U23s)[13]

Player of the Month

Month Player Club Ref.
August Ethan Robson Sunderland U23s [14]
September Rushian Hepburn-Murphy Aston Villa U23s [15]
October Paolo Fernandes Manchester City EDS [16]
November Josh Sims Southampton U23s [17]
December Jonathan Leko West Bromwich Albion U23s [18]
January Oliver McBurnie Swansea City U23s [19]
February Liam Walsh Everton U23s [20]
March Julien Ngoy Stoke City U23s [21]
April Kieran Dowell Everton U23s [22]

League 2

U23 Professional Development League
Season2016–17
ChampionsSheffield Wednesday U23s (1st Title)
Regular Season ChampionsCharlton Athletic U23s (1st Title)
Matches283
(280 RS, 3 PO)
Goals933 (3.3 per match)
(920 RS, 13 PO)
Top goalscorer George Hirst Sheffield Wednesday U23s (16 Goals)
Biggest home winIpswich Town U23s 8–0 Watford U23s
(6 February 2017)
Biggest away winColchester United U23s 1–7 Queens Park Rangers U23s
(17 April 2017)
Highest scoringCharlton Athletic U23s 7–2 Coventry City U23s
(5 September 2016)
Sheffield United U23s 6–3 Nottingham Forest U23s
(19 December 2016)
Longest winning run6 Matches Sheffield Wednesday U23s
Longest unbeaten run12 Matches Charlton Athletic U23s
Longest winless run14 Matches Leeds United U23s
Longest losing run5 Matches Crystal Palace U23s
Leeds United U23s
Millwall U23s
Highest attendance2,745 Sheffield Wednesday U23s 3–1 Hull City U23s
(12 May 2017)

The Professional U23 Development League 2, also known as U23 PDL-2 is split into two regional divisions.

Teams will play each team in their own division twice, and each team in the other division once, for a total of 28 games each.

At the end of the season, the teams finishing in the top two positions of both divisions will meet in the knockout stage to determine the overall league champion. 20 Teams competed this season, 1 fewer than last time. Brentford withdrawing at the end of last season after they closed their academy meant Coventry City moved to the south division for an even distribution of 10 teams per division.

Tables

North Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Sheffield Wednesday U23s 28 15 5 8 43 28 +15 50 Qualification for Knock-out stage
2 Hull City U23s 28 15 3 10 51 42 +9 48
3 Bolton Wanderers U23s 28 13 7 8 53 42 +11 46
4 Birmingham City U23s 28 13 7 8 47 39 +8 46
5 Crewe Alexandra U23s 28 13 7 8 53 46 +7 46
6 Huddersfield Town U23s 28 13 5 10 54 42 +12 44
7 Sheffield United U23s 28 12 6 10 49 43 +6 42
8 Nottingham Forest U23s 28 10 5 13 43 39 +4 35
9 Barnsley U23s 28 9 4 15 35 50 −15 31
10 Leeds United U23s 28 6 6 16 33 52 −19 24
Source:

South Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Charlton Athletic U23s 28 15 8 5 53 26 +27 53 Qualification for Knock-out stage
2 Millwall U23s 28 12 6 10 47 33 +14 42
3 Cardiff City U23s 28 10 8 10 46 44 +2 38
4 Coventry City U23s 28 11 5 12 50 58 −8 38
5 Bristol City U23s 28 10 6 12 45 49 −4 36
6 Queens Park Rangers U23s 28 11 3 14 51 63 −12 36
7 Ipswich Town U23s 28 11 2 15 57 54 +3 35
8 Colchester United U23s 28 8 9 11 42 56 −14 33
9 Watford U23s 28 9 5 14 42 65 −23 32
10 Crystal Palace U23s 28 8 5 15 26 49 −23 29
Source:

Knock-out stage

Semi-finals

Sheffield Wednesday U23s2–1Millwall U23s
Hirst Philpot
Attendance: 1,059
Charlton Athletic U23s3–3 (a.e.t.)Hull City U23s
Hanlan 103'
Ahearne-Grant 105'
Charles-Cook 109'		 Report Bowen 94'
Ter Horst 102'
Edwards 120'
Penalties
 4–5
Attendance: 290
Referee: P Kelly

Final

Sheffield Wednesday U23s3–1Hull City U23s
Hirst 9', 25'
Williams 65'		 McKenzie 41' (pen.)
Attendance: 2,745

Top goalscorers

As of 12 May 2017
Rank Player Club Goals
1 George Hirst Sheffield Wednesday U23s 16
2 Ben Brereton Nottingham Forest U23s 13
Ebere Eze Queens Park Rangers U23s
Callum Saunders Crewe Alexandra U23s
5 Karlan Ahearne-Grant Charlton Athletic U23s 12
Ben Morris Sheffield United U23s
7 Michael Folivi Coventry City U23s/Watford U23s 11
Mikhail Kennedy Charlton Athletic U23s
Daniel Udoh Crewe Alexandra U23s
10 Will Annan Hull City U23s 10
Jarrod Bowen Hull City U23s
Jordan Hallam Sheffield United U23s
Devon Kelly-Evans Coventry City U23s
Noel Leighton Millwall U23s
Shawn McCoulsky Bristol City U23s
Alex Samizadeh Bolton Wanderers U23s
Eoghan Stokes Leeds United U23s
George Thomas Coventry City U23s
Joshua Umerah Charlton Athletic U23s

Hat-tricks

As of 12 May 2017
Player For Against Result Date Ref.
Jonathan Edwards Hull City U23s Bristol City U23s 5–0 (H) 22 August 2016 [23]
Ebere Eze Queens Park Rangers U23s Crystal Palace U23s 4–1 (H) 5 September 2016 [24]
Alex Samizadeh4 Bolton Wanderers U23s Queens Park Rangers U23s 6–1 (H) 12 September 2016 [25]
Devon Kelly-Evans Coventry City U23s Barnsley U23s 1–4 (A) 30 September 2016 [26]
Ben Brereton4 Nottingham Forest U23s Queens Park Rangers U23s 0–5 (A) 7 October 2016 [27]
Shawn McCoulsky Bristol City U23s Colchester United U23s 0–5 (A) 14 November 2016 [28]
Marcus Antonsson Leeds United U23s Huddersfield Town U23s 2–3 (A) 21 November 2016 [29]
Diego De Girolamo Bristol City U23s Cardiff City U23s 3–3 (H) 12 December 2016 [30]
Reece Grego-Cox Queens Park Rangers U23s Coventry City U23s 0–3 (A) 30 January 2017 [31]
Mikhail Kennedy Charlton Athletic U23s Ipswich Town U23s 4–0 (H) 30 January 2017 [32]
Shawn McCoulsky Bristol City U23s Colchester United U23s 4–1 (H) 30 January 2017 [33]
Monty Patterson Ipswich Town U23s Watford U23s 8–0 (H) 6 February 2017 [34]
Dominic Samuel Ipswich Town U23s Watford U23s 8–0 (H) 6 February 2017 [35]
James Waite4 Cardiff City U23s Watford U23s 7–1 (H) 6 March 2017 [36]
George Hirst Sheffield Wednesday U23s Hull City U23s 2–3 (A) 6 March 2017 [37]
Jordan Hallam4 Sheffield United U23s Bristol City U23s 5–0 (H) 27 March 2017 [38]
Shawn McCoulsky Bristol City U23s Watford U23s 4–1 (H) 10 April 2017 [39]
Aramide Oteh4 Queens Park Rangers U23s Colchester United U23s 1–7 (A) 17 April 2017 [40]
Note

(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals

See also

References

  1. ^ "PREMIER LEAGUE 2 (DIVISION 1)". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  2. ^ "PREMIER LEAGUE 2 (DIVISION 2)". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  3. ^ "MATCH REPORT: VILLA U23 4-0 NEWCASTLE U23". Aston Villa. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  4. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Reading v Everton". Premier League. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  5. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Reading v Everton". Premier League. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  6. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Arsenal v Leicester City". Premier League. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  7. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United". Premier League. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  8. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Swansea City v Newcastle United". Premier League. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  9. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Chelsea v Manchester City". Premier League. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  10. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers". Premier League. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  11. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Reading v Arsenal". Premier League. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  12. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Premier League 2 Player of the Season shortlist revealed". premierleague.com. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Sunderland's Robson takes PL2 player award". premierleague.com. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Hepburn-Murphy named PL2 Player of the Month". premierleague.com. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Fernandes wins PL2 Player of the Month award". premierleague.com. 12 November 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Sims earns PL2 Player of the Month award". premierleague.com. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Leko lands PL2 Player of the Month award". premierleague.com. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  19. ^ "McBurnie wins PL2 Player of the Month award". premierleague.com. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Walsh wins PL2 Player of the Month". premierleague.com. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Ngoy named PL2 Player of the Month". premierleague.com. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Dowell named PL2 Player of the Month". premierleague.com. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  23. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Bristol City v Hull City". Youth Hawk. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  24. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Queens Park Rangers v Crystal Palace". Youth Hawk. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  25. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Bolton Wanderers v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  26. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Barnsley v Coventry City". Youth Hawk. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  27. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Queens Park Rangers v Nottingham Forest". Youth Hawk. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  28. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Colchester United v Bristol City". Youth Hawk. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  29. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Huddersfield Town v Leeds United". Youth Hawk. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  30. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Bristol City v Cardiff City". Youth Hawk. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  31. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Coventry City v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  32. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Charlton Athletic v Ipswich Town". Youth Hawk. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  33. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Bristol City v Colchester United". Youth Hawk. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  34. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Ipswich Town v Watford". Youth Hawk. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  35. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Ipswich Town v Watford". Youth Hawk. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  36. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Ipswich Town v Watford". Youth Hawk. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  37. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Ipswich Town v Sheffield Wednesday". Youth Hawk. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  38. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Sheffield United v Bristol City". Youth Hawk. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  39. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Sheffield United v Bristol City". Youth Hawk. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  40. ^ "U23S Match Summary: Colchester United v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
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