Sonny Aljofree was handed his first-ever senior appearance last weekend as his Accrington Stanley side claimed their first win of the season.
After a tough start to the season, John Doolan’s side finally got three points on the board after beating fellow relegation-threatened Morecambe. Former Bradford City man Dara Costelloe grabbed the headlines for his brace in the first half, meaning the Manchester United defender’s bow in League Two went under the radar.
At 19, Aljofree was a youth captain at Old Trafford and was part of the side that claimed the FA Youth Cup in 2022, starring alongside now-United stars Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho. Erik Ten Hag’s side opted to send him out to Stanley in order to get some senior minutes, with the defender arriving in the final throws of the summer transfer window.
Speaking to club media following the win, the former Altrincham man said (Quotes via Manchester United Website): “[I’m] over the moon.
“It’s been something that I’ve worked for for my whole life and for it finally to happen, I’m buzzing. Thanks to the manager for trusting in me and giving me the opportunity.
“I’m itching to play football every day. Football is what I love, it’s my passion. But circumstances happen, the manager picks his team, now I’ve finally got my chance [and] we’ve got the three points so I’m happy to help the team in my own little way.
“Obviously I got a little butterflies [before the game] but no real nerves because I’ve been training with them [my teammates] every day. I know what abilities the players have and I trust them. You’ve seen it there, everyone stuck to their task and it came off. It’s just unfortunate we conceded because I’d have liked that clean sheet as well!”
Derek Adams’ side did not go down quietly, with a late goal through Ben Tollitt giving Morecambe some hope of mounting a comeback. In Accrington’s previous game, they relinquished a lead to Cheltenham Town in the latter stages to hand them their fourth loss in five games.
Aljofree started from the off at the Wham Stadium, playing at left-back in Doolan’s back-five system. He held his own against The Shrimps, recording seven clearances and three interceptions across the full ninety minutes.
Stanley make the short trip to Tranmere Rovers tomorrow night in EFL Trophy action, with both sides in a must-win situation. On Saturday they make the long journey to Kent and face Gillingham, who have lost two games on the bounce to relinquish the lead at the top of the fourth tier.
Writer’s View
Sonny Aljofree is one of many promising young talents to come out of the academy at Manchester United and he finally has been handed his first opportunity in league football. It may have been a long wait for him to finally get the chance to play, but he took it with both hands and has surely given himself a chance to make many more starts to come. Tomorrow’s game against Tranmere could be yet another indication of what his playing time will look like as first-choice left-back Jake Batty recovers from a knock.
John Doolan will be delighted to finally get over the line with three points. He spoke very confidently in the build-up to the clash against Morecambe and through Burnley‘s Dara Costelloe Accrington Stanley lifted themselves off the foot of League Two. They have five very difficult games coming up in the fourth tier, playing Gillingham, Barrow, MK Dons, Walsall and Chesterfield. They will be very happy to get something out of the next run of games but it would be expected that the difficult opening to their season might continue following this positive result.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
