After his recent nomination for Apprentice of the Year at the EFL awards, we were delighted to hear from Seb and more about his journey after Hymers. 

I left Hymers following my GCSEs in the summer of 2023 to continue my pursuit to become a professional footballer. The reaction on my decision from the school was somewhat mixed should we say!  I joined Grimsby Town (having been in the academy since I was 12) on a 2-year Professional Football Scholarship studying a BTEC Level 3 in National Extended Diploma in Sporting Excellence and Performance with the target to earn a Professional Contract at the end.

As a goalkeeper, it is normal in your 1st year to be second choice and try and take your chance when any opportunities arise.  This was not the case for me having gained the number 1 shirt from the first game and then played over 90% of the games including getting to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, which included keeping a clean sheet against Nottingham Forest. We also made the Northern Final of the Youth Alliance Cup, losing the final 1-0; my highlight in this competition was saving the penalty in the penalty shoot-out in the semi-final against Mansfield Town to take us to the final.  Due to an injury in the 1st team, I spent the last 6 games of the season on the bench which gave me even more determination to succeed. The season was not all joy; we sadly lost a team mate in a tragic car accident which brought a period of sadness and devastation to the team and the club.

My second year started relatively slow until I was recalled to the 1st team bench for the game at Carlisle United on Saturday 28th September. Just 16 minutes in the goalkeeper suffered a freak injury and I made my EFL debut (at the age of 17) in front of 7,500 fans which was an amazing and unforgettable experience, and we also won the game which was the start of a 6-game winning run away from home. I spent the next 6 months and nearly 30 games in the 1st team squad getting the taste of the life of a professional footballer.  I continued to play for the youth team when I could which included another successful FA Youth Cup run, knocking out Premier League West Ham in the third round and another clean sheet!  We were knocked out the next round after extra time by Tottenham.

My second year concluded with achieving the top award in the BTEC (D*D*D*), nominated as Apprentice of the Year at the EFL awards which were held at the London Hilton on Park Lane and earning my Professional Contract. 

The season has just finished and after a couple of weeks rest, the fitness programme for next season starts reporting back for pre-season at the end of June.

Seb Auton OH (2015-25)

It was fantastic to hear from Seb and this amazing acheivement since leaving Hymers, we wish him well for the next season!