The 2013/14 season is over for Arsenal Under-21s.
Club photographer David Price has been with the young Gunners every step of the way and he's picked out his top 10 pictures from the campaign.
1. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fulham (a)
David says: "This picture shows Alex getting his kit on before playing in his comeback match against Fulham. I like this picture as the changing room is empty apart from Alex. He was doing some extra stretches in another room and the team went out for the warm-up without him. I think you can see how excited he is to get back out on the pitch as he rushes to put his socks on.”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
2. Jon Toral, Manchester City (h)
“Generally in the under-21 league the players don’t go in for big celebrations when they score. But here Jon did celebrate, partly because it was a really tough match against Manchester City and this third goal, brought a release of pressure as well as the satisfaction of beating a high-profile opponent.”
Jon Toral
3. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Middlesbrough (a)
David says: "I really like this action shot of Ainsley. He looks perfectly balanced and 100 per cent focused on the ball as he hurdles a desperate challenge by the Middlesbrough player.”
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
4. Abou Diaby, Chelsea (h)
David says: “This one is a bit of a sentimental choice. It is always great to see a player back on the pitch after a serious injury and Abou has had more than his fair share of those.”
Abou Diaby
5. Thomas Eisfeld, Wolves (h)
David says: “With the under-21s I enjoy a little bit more access than I would expect to get with the first team. This allows me get shots like this one of Thomas. I like it because sometimes I think we forget that the players really enjoy just playing football. Here you see Thomas moments before he’s about to go out and play, just looking really happy.”
Thomas Eisfeld
6. Yaya Sanogo, Southampton (h)
David says: “This is similar to the shot of Ainsley. Here you can see Yaya in the air on the end of a pretty robust challenge, but still focusing on the ball.”
Yaya Sanogo
7. Kris Olsson, Norwich City (a)
David says: “Again, a little behind-the-scenes shot. Under the new rules the under-21s have to play some matches at the first-team grounds. This shot was taken before the match against Norwich. I like it as it shows Kris at the beginning of his life as a footballer, walking past the images of the Norwich first-team players. I hope it works as extra motivation for them to one day see their own image on the wall at Emirates.”
Kris Olsson
8. Isaac Hayden, Norwich City (a)
David says: “Another image from the Norwich match. I used to dread having to take photographs in the rain but now I see it as an opportunity to capture images such as this one, where the players carry on oblivious to the downpour around them.”
Isaac Hayden
9. Ryo Miyaichi, Wolves (h)
David says: “Bit of a funny one here. I didn’t notice at first but once I got the shot on my computer I could see that the Wolves player has managed to kick his own hand while trying to tackle Ryo.”
Ryo Miyaichi
10. Emiliano Viviano, Sunderland (h)
David says: “When you take pictures of a goalkeeper it can be frustrating. You can spend a long time waiting for the ball to come his way and even then he might just kick or throw the ball away. I was lucky this time. This was part of a double save that Emiliano made. His first dive went away from me but when the ball was fired back he dived in my direction and I was able to get this image. These things happen so quickly that when you get a shot like this it's very rewarding.”
Emiliano Viviano
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