Many thanks to Belfast Live for permission to reproduce this excellent article by Gareth Fullerton https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/sport/
Glentoran's Academy has produced some stellar young talent in the past who have gone on to shine for the club's first team.
Paul Leeman, Stuart Elliott, Andy Kirk and Colin Nixon are just some of the legendary names to have rolled off the Academy's conveyor belt in years gone by.
And it appears they could have a few more gems on their hands.
For Tuesday night's Irish Premiership clash with Warrenpoint Town, Gary Smyth drafted in no less than SIX Academy recruits.
Mal Smith played his second senior game, while Jack Henderson and Sean Og Gallagher went on to make their first team debuts.
Goalkeeper Paul McLaughlin was also due to be a substitute, but Elliott Morris was fit and available and took his place on the bench.
Mal Smith
Mal joined the club when he was 11 and has captained various age groups. He was earmarked as one for the future very early on. He's the current captain of Under 20s and has scored 10 goals this season from right-back.
Sean Og Gallagher
Sean Og joined at Under 10 level and played in the same underage teams as Mal. He was also captain at various stages and has won four NIBFA Cups with that age group. He has been a Northern Ireland international at various ages and was County Antrim's player of the tournament at last year's SuperCupNI.
Jamie Glover
Jamie signed at Under 14s from Dungoyne and within six months he was playing for Club NI. He's a Woodstock Road kid with bags of pace and also gets among the goals from left back. He is also in the Northern Ireland schoolboys Centenary Shield squad.
James McCarthy
Another who joined from Dungoyne, this time as an Under 11. He won three Northern Ireland Cups in succession with us before moving to centre back where his leadership came to the fore as he captained our U18s and County Down at the SuperCupNI
Paul O'Neill
Paul was suspended but is one to look out for. He joined at 13 from Cliftonville and has been a goal machine ever since. Aggressive, direct runner with an eye for goal. He is also a youth international.
Jack Henderson
Jack joined from Linfield aged 13 and also won three Northern Ireland Cups in succession along with Paul and James in the 2000 team. Henry has been across the water on trials with Liverpool and Leicester and is capped with Northern Ireland at all ages up to U18 Schoolboys. He started as a winger and the skill/ technique he has taken into central midfield to become a very composed player in the middle of the park.
Sean Wallace
Sean signed at U16 from St Oliver Plunkett and is also capped at NI level and played in the Victory Shield. He started as a right back but now scoring a lot of goals playing in behind the strikers as an advanced midfielder.
Paul McLaughlin
Paul also joined at Under 10 and had been Northern Ireland's first choice goalkeeper at all ages through to U18 Schoolboys. He's also a talented GAA player. Paul been identified by Elliott Morris as a potential long-term successor to him which in itself is high praise indeed.
Leeman's verdict
"The young lads have made great progress at the club and have deserved their call-ups to the senior squad. It is great experience for them to be around the first team.
"It is great for them to experience the dressing room and what happens on a match day. The Academy has constantly produced good players, and many have gone on to play for the first team. It is important that a club brings through its own players.
"It is a big step up for these lads, but you get to see how they handle the pressure and experience, and you hope they learn from it. So fair play to the young lads coming through and taking their chance. Hopefully we see them in the Glentoran jersey in years to come."