Jordan Ponticelli has stolen much of the attention this term in his breakthrough season with Coventry City.
The teenager has grabbed the headlines after a clamour from the fans to see more of last season’s prolific Under-18s striker who rose to prominence with 27 goals to his name.
But there’s another Jordan that has come through the Sky Blues Academy who has been beavering away quietly under the radar before finally enjoying a bit of limelight of his own by scoring City’s crucial second goal against Luton Town at the weekend – his first senior strike for the club.
Jordan Shipley has made nine senior appearances to date, making two starts in cup competitions and included in numerous matchday squads as an unused substitute.
His introduction as a 24th minute replacement for the injured Jodi Jones against Colchester was the clearest indication yet that manager Mark Robins has growing faith in the 20-year-old, who went on in the dying minutes at Kenilworth Road help see his side over the line with a sublime left foot free-kick from the edge of the box.
“He has got a sweet left foot and his feet are massive so he should be able to hit it hard,” said City’s Under-23s coach Jason Farndon of the player who won League Two Goal of the Week for the stunning strike and then found himself turning out for the Under-23s in a drab goalless draw with Millwall on Monday.
“But he has a great strike on him.
“It didn’t look like he was going to take it and then he moved across to take it and put it in the top corner, but Shippers has been doing that for years and years.
“I think he is a threat. He has got a nice left foot but like everyone else in the Under-23s this week, they have just got to do a bit more.”
Asked about Shipley’s progress through the Academy ranks, Farndon said: “Shippers has been a bit of a slow burner and, by his own admission, I don’t think he had a very good season last year.
“He struggled a little bit in different aspects of the game but he came back in the summer and looks in even better shape.
“Jordan Ponticelli gets a lot of the limelight but they will all peak and that’s just the life of a young footballer. The manager has just said to the lads in the dressing room that it’s not the challenge to get in the first team, it’s staying in it is the real challenge for young footballers.
“Hopefully Jordan can get some minutes and I am sure he will get a lot of minutes because he can play a lot of different positions. The manager has used him in a variety of different positions, as I have in the 23s.”
So what is his best position?
“I don’t know,” admitted Farndon.
“I think he played as an Under-15 or 16 at left-back in the Under-23s. He came on in the Checkatrade at left-back and played really well. I’ve played him as a No.9 and he went out to left wing-back later on, so he’s very versatile. He’s a big boy.
“I think he’d say his position is centre mid but I think he can play in a variety of positions.
“He’s got a nice left foot so it’s good to get him out wide because he can whip the ball in and he has a really good set piece delivery.”
He added: “But it’s always a great feeling to see lads progress and it’s my job really to see lads get into the first team."
