Middlesbrough Head Of Academy Recruitment - Martin Carter ("I Recruit Players On Instinct"") - Episode 23 snippet")

On this episode, I’m joined by someone different to my usual Academy Manager guests. A well respected man in the recruitment side of football. He is responsible for discovering players like Djed Spence and more.

Mr Martin Carter, the Head Of Academy Recruitment at EFL Championship club Middlesbrough FC, who also played for the club's academy as a 12-year-old schoolboy, joins me on Episode 23 of my podcast and tells me.

That he recruits players on instinct. He doesn’t like watching players repeatedly, he can tell within 60 seconds if it’s a player he wants.

Martin talks me through his process of discovering a 15-year-old Josh Coburn. The striker who eventually reached the Middlesbrough First Team was sold to Millwall in June 2025.

Coincidentally, Josh returned to Middlesbrough on Good Friday April 3rd, 2026, and scored two goals to help Millwall win 2-1 against Middlesbrough.

The result dented Middlesbrough’s Premier League promotion push. Taking Middlesbrough from second to third and Millwall from third to second in the EFL Championship table.

Full Episode: Friday April 10th