CIRENCESTER Academy starlet Connor Thompson has capped a fine year by being selected for the final England Schools U18 International squad for 2010/11.

Thompson, a free-scoring winger, has helped the Academy, a joint initiative with Cirencester College, to top spot in their division of the English Colleges Premier Division.

The Academy side also had a good run in the FA Youth Cup until put out in the last round by League Two side Aldershot Town.

Thompson also captains the Wiltshire Schools team and on Saturday he came off the bench to make his debut for the Cirencester Town senior side in the FA Carlsberg Trophy game against former winners Grays Athletic.

Thompson made such an impression in his half-hour cameo role as a substitute that he was again on the bench when Ciren earned a battling victory in the replay on Tuesday night.

Thompson is now set to join the rest of the England Schoolboy elite for a training weekend at Silsoe, Bedford (November 26-28) to be followed by another training camp at the National Sports Centre in Lilleshall (December 3-5).

The squad will then be whittled down from 38 to 18 on December 6 and they will face another Lilleshall training camp in January as well as a match against Loughborough University.

Former Cirencester College graduates, James Constable and Matt Green, have both played League football and current Academy boss Steve Lowndes, himself a former Welsh international, said: "Connor is a cracking little player and I have no doubts that he could eventually play in the Football League.

"He plays centre midfield for Wiltshire but I prefer him playing wide right. He is two-footed, has bags of pace and scores a lot of goals.

"He has a very good attitude and a good footballing brain.

"Though only small, he makes very good use of his body and is a remarkably good header of a ball for one of his size.

"It will come as no surprise if gets through to the final England Schoolboy squad.

"Where he will end up next year I don't know, but he has already had a lot of enquiries from American Universities."

Cirencester Town boss Brian Hughes said: "Two Forest Green players, Scott Bartlett and Wayne Turk, joined us for training last Thursday. Wayne was marking Connor and afterwards he came up to me and said: "Who was that little blond kid – he made me look stupid'."