Academy winger Flynn Bobby recaps the 2025/26 season, and breaking into the First Team.
DK: How did you find the season from a personal perspective (Res/U18s) - arguably a successful one?
FB: The season as a whole was a positive one for us all. The results in the reserves weren’t what we’d hoped for of course, a similar story to last season. But I think we all learned a lot and it’s another season of men’s football that all of us will take valuable lessons from to make us better players longterm.
DK: Can you pick 3 standout games from this season, if so which ones and why?
FB: Number one for me was the First Round Proper of the FA Youth Cup. To make history on the same night as such a resounding result was a great feeling. Personally to score 2 and get an assist in a 4-0 win and then be awarded with Man Of The Match after the game made the night even more memorable for me.
Number two would be making my first team debut in the Suffolk Premier Cup final win vs Felixstowe, I’d been training with the team for quite a while and to be given my debut was a moment I was really excited for… and to win a medal at the end of it was brilliant! Number three might sound weird to people but it might be Holland away. We lost the game 5-1 which instantly makes the game sound like a failure. We went 5-0 down by half-time, but I think the amount we all learned about eachother and ourselves that day when we were in the dressing room at halftime, and when we came out in the second half and put out a completely different performance despite being to be put it brutally, embarrassed, in the first half was a testament for all the boys.
DK: How do you think this season ranks within your previous seasons at the club?
FB: This season for me has been much better than last season, this is only my second season here at Needham but last season I was out for 6 months of the season with my first ever real injury. To come into a new group and be injured for so long was difficult. This season though, I had a good reserve season and even ended up getting the most assists in the league with 16, despite us ending the season on a slight low with the loss in the County Cup final, this season has definitely been a positive one for me.
DK: How special was it being part of that impressive FA Youth Cup run, the best the club's ever had?
FB: The FA Youth Cup run was a special one for all of us, we were lucky enough to have a lot of our draws at home so instantly we always felt as though we had an upper hand on the opposition due to our how good we are at home on the grass. We unfortunately got knocked out by a really strong Southend side, who were deserved winners on the night. But to create history for the club and to be given the opportunities to play the way we did from Luke, and how much prep he gave us before each game is something we’re all grateful to him for, the credit for the history we made should go to him.
DK: Unfortunate to not quite retain the Suffolk Midweek Cup, but you must be otherwise proud of that run?
FB: Similarly to the Youth Cup, the run we had in the County Cup was something we’re all really proud of too. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, like I said. But again, we were beaten by a side that were rightful winners in a game that was great to be a part of, and for a neutral would’ve been a great watch ending in a 5-4 defeat. Against a good side like that in a cup game, mistakes become even more costly and we found that out the hard way that night.
FB: An unbeaten U18 League Champion campaign though, how does that feel?
FB: To be honest I didn’t play much of a part in the success of the 18’s league. I think I only played about 4-5 games. But both the U16’s who themselves have had a brilliant season, and the first years who played almost every game are who we need to thank for such a successful campaign. They’re the boys who won us that league and they should be the ones acknowledged for how well they all did to get us over the line with games to spare and even unbeaten.
DK: A largely unchanged team over the previous seasons, how much has that consistency and togetherness played a part in the success?
FB: I think it shows how much improvement and how well we’ve all adapted to men’s football at reserve level. Despite not much of an improvement results wise, I think other than that Holland game every game could’ve genuinely gone either way. We were on the wrong end of too many scorelines this season, but we were never outplayed by anyone and if we we could keep the ball out the net better than we did maybe our season wouldn’t been different. But like the County Cup final, when you play good sides, mistakes rarely ever go unpunished. Losing Olly Reynolds halfway through the season meant that would be even more difficult, but overall to play with almost the same players week in week out for the last 2 years has got a lot of us on the same page with each other, and relationships on and off the pitch have grown so much.
DK: You've scored some cracking goals this season, can you pick a few that stand out?
FB: My goal vs Dussindale was my favourite. It actually won The Grassroots Goal Of The Month and got over a million views across all social media’s. I also scored a volley vs KPR at the start of the season. Then maybe my goal in the Semi Final of the County Cup vs Lowestoft as home. I reckon they’re my top three. Next season I’d like to score more tap ins though. I’d rather add 20 of them to my goal catalogue each season😂.
DK: Another great personal achievement was that you broke into the First Team this season, how did you find it being in and around the squad on training and matchdays as a whole?
FB: I’ve loved training with the first team each week and to be given an opportunity to make my debut in the cup final and the league was a great feeling and one I’m very thankful to Tom for. All the players made it easy to shift into their environment, I can’t name names because I know I’ll miss some out, but I’m very thankful to all the players and how they’ve helped me settle in.
DK: We spoke about it at the time, but a very successful end to the season for you, making your first team debut - winning the Premier Cup in the process - enjoying more success in the U18s and being runners up of the U18's Suffolk Cup?
FB: Yeah we spoke about it in my interview after the Premier Cup Final, but it was a great end to what has on the whole been a very positive season, a few disappointments too but that’s football and that’s life. On a personal note I think it’s been very successful for me. Manty gives us all targets throughout and at the beginning of the season which is really helpful to us all. Numbers wise he gave me a target of 20 goals and assists at reserves level. I remember thinking how unrealistic that was, but I actually ended up getting 23 and 45 if you include the U18’s too!
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